SonicWorlds
by Sonic Dust
Summary: Where did the good robot come from? TWO Sallys? And who the heck is Bane? A tale spanning multiple dimensions. K-plus for violence, and maybe a tiny bit of romance. REVIEW so I feel LUVD! NOTE: Follows the events of "Mech of Mystery".
1. Displacement

Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction  
by Sonic Dust (dustinman77@hotmail.com)  
  
Sonic, Tails, Sally, Rotor, Bunnie, etc. are © Sega, Archie Comics, and Dic.  
Used by me! without permission, since... oh, geez, it's a fanfic!  
  
Damien, Enosh, and Simone are my characters; please do not use them without   
permission. Thanx.  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
NOTE: SonicWorlds will make little sense if you haven't read "The Mech of   
Mystery."  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
SonicWorlds  
Chapter 1  
"Displacement"  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
He pulled on the black gloves that matched the armored bodysuit he was   
already wearing. Next came the red gunbelt with twin laser pistols resting   
in their holsters, saftey on. He would remedy that later. Then, he attached   
a foot-long metal rod, about two inches in diameter, to the back of the red   
belt's shoulder harness. Finally, a white headband... for style. He was   
ready.  
  
Tails walked toward the center of Knothole Village, plishing the white raised   
"T" on the belt's buckle. He'd been working on this outfit in secrecy for   
several months now, and it was complete at last. He couldn't wait to show it   
off to his friends.  
  
Bunnie, Antoine and Rotor were already there. Ant was polishing his sword;   
it looked recently sharpened. Rotor was powering up his bazooka-style sound   
wave cannon. Bunnie, however, was leaning against a tree. She kept her   
maintenance up so often that there wasn't anything left for her to do to get   
ready. She was the first to notice Tails approach. She started to wave to   
him, then did a double-take.  
  
"Tails? That you, shuga?"  
  
"Yep," he replied. "I'm ready."  
  
"Well, Ah can see that, hon'," she replied, looking him over. She gave a low   
whistle. "Y'all look like a mercenary!"  
  
Rotor set his cannon down and looked at Tails. "Whoa! Are you sure you need   
us, or can you complete the mission alone?"  
  
"Cut it out, guys," Tails said, blushing a little. "I've just always thought   
I could use some artillery."  
  
"Heavy," Rotor said, chuckling.  
  
Antoine sheathed his sword. The roboticized coyote stood and placed his   
hands on his hips. "Well, zat is zat. Now all we 'ave to do is wait for zee   
othairz."  
  
Tails decided now was as good a time as any to take the safeties off. He was   
doing this as Sally and Damien approached from Sonic's hut. Sally was no   
doubt filling in the roboticized human about the plan.   
  
He couldn't wait to get moving. He twirled his pistols around by their   
triggers and jammed them back into their holsters.  
  
"Hi, Sally!" he yelled. "Hi, Damien!"  
  
"Tails?!" Sally shouted, running over to him. "Where did you get these   
things? When? Do you know how to use those?"  
  
"Hey, relax," he said, tightening his headband. "I'm ready to rock!"  
  
She opened her mouth to say something, then sighed. "Oh, alright... but be   
careful with those guns." She turned her attention to the group. "Okay,   
here's what we're doing." She pulled out Nicole, her hand-held computer, and   
flipped it open. "Nicole, display Sally map 276-E."  
  
"Accessing, Sally," Nicole replied. A moment later a 3D graphic of a   
neighborhood in Robotropolis was projected into the space just above its   
screen.  
  
"This is where we're heading," Sally said, pushing a few buttons. The image   
zoomed in on a two-story building in a bad state of disrepair. "Robotnik   
hasn't used his dimensional teleportation technology much, so he stored it   
here. The security around it is very basic- it shouldn't take much effort to   
get in. Antoine, Bunnie, and..." She sighed again at Tails's new suit.   
"...Tails... will take out the guards and such, while Rotor, Damien and I   
head inside to find the teleporter. Don't worry about us, we can take care   
of ourselves, but you should follow us in as soon as the area is clear.   
Everyone got it?"  
  
They all nodded their agreement, and Sally snapped Nicole shut. "Then let's   
move!"  
  
As they made their way out, dusk was setting in. Many Knothole residents   
waved as they passed.  
  
Damien looked at Tails's suit. "Nice," he commented.  
  
"Thanks," he replied. "At least _somebody_ appreciates it. I wish they   
wouldn't treat me like I'm your dimension's Tails. I've been honing my   
skills for a long time, but nobody bothered to notice."  
  
"Well, you're going to be able to prove yourself soon," Damien said, looking   
off toward Robotropolis. "This is one mission I really hope we complete...   
without incident."  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
Sally was right. There were only two SWATbots guarding the building; one at   
each door. There were also some security cameras, but they were easy targets.  
  
Tails drew his pistols, and Bunnie activated her forearm laser. Bunnie   
looked across the ally to where Antoine was hiding behind a cardboard box and   
waved.  
  
"Ready, shuga-Tails?" she asked, smiling.  
  
"You bet," he replied.  
  
They fired from behind the dumpster, Bunnie peeking from the top (since she   
was taller), and Tails from the side. The cameras all exploded, raining   
charred bits of metal debris on the SWAT guarding the door.  
  
[-INTRUDER ALERT-] the bot droned. The other one came charging around the   
corner to join his counterpart. They started firing on the dumpster.  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
Damien shot down the only camera over the side door. "There," he said.  
  
"Let's go before they realize," Sally said, running to the door. She tried   
the handle, and it was locked. "It always is. Rotor?"  
  
The walrus stepped forward and produced a lockpick, and after a few seconds,   
the door swung open.  
  
The trio charged inside, the sounds of the outside crossfire in their ears.   
They ran down the short hallway, then realized there wasn't much to look for.  
  
The two-story building was really a one-story with a very high ceiling, made   
of glass. It was about the size of a gymnasium, only longer. At the far end   
was a huge black jet, which explained the need for the high ceiling. There   
were some various-sized boxes laying around, labeled "Top Secret" and such   
things. The teleportation equipment was piled to their right.  
  
"Oh, great," Damien said, looking at the mound of boxes and metallic parts in   
despair. "This will take hours to set up!" He thought a minute. "Wait... I   
have an idea."  
  
Just then, Tails, Bunnie and Antoine came running in. "That's that," Bunnie   
said. She walked over to the brown squirrel. "So, what now, Sally-girl?"  
  
Damien turned to them. "Our only hope of actually using this equipment is to   
get it somewhere where we can set it up," he said. "Unfortunately, there's a   
lot of parts here, but the good Doctor has left us a way out." He gestured   
toward the jet.  
  
A smile spread across Sal's face. "Well, let's hurry!"  
  
Tails took the liberty of standing guard while the others got the door to the   
jet open and started loading the pieces of the device. As he was watching   
the city outside, he noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye. He   
whirled and drew his guns-  
  
And was nearly hit by a spinning ninja star.  
  
"Black Bloods!" he shouted.  
  
As Sally and Rotor continued to hurridley load the rest of the parts, Damien,   
Bunnie, and Antoine ran to aid Tails. The black jumpsuited foes made an   
entrance similar to their last, appearing from nowhere yet everywhere. Tails   
realized that his pistols wouldn't be very effective in this melee, so he put   
them away and drew the rod. Pressing a hidden button, he spun it around, and   
sections snapped out, as it was now revealed as a four foot long staff.  
  
As the battle ensued, Tails wondered where Enosh was. Maybe he didn't make   
it; bled to death. Somehow he doubted it. If he did show up, he would be   
ready for him.  
  
Tails was tripping another jumpsuited rabbit when Sally and Rotor fought   
their way over to them.  
  
"That's the last of it," Sally shouted. "Let's get out of here ASAP!"  
  
Then Damien, currently holding a black-clad ninja over his head, shouted,   
"Look who survived!"  
  
Enosh jumped down from his perch on top of the jet. He was still wearing the   
red jumpsuit, but something different immediately caught Tails's eye; his   
biomechanical right forearm. Tails felt ill as he remembered the sopping,   
lifeless hand laying on the ground, still holding the dagger.  
  
"You," Enosh hissed, pointing at Damien with his metal hand. "You did this   
to me. Now you shall pay for this injustice!" Blinded by his need for   
vengeance, he leaped at Damien, hands at the ready to reduce him to scrap.  
  
Damien crouched, and as the crimson-clothed rabbit flew over head, he grabbed   
him by his collar. Then he spun him around and sent him flying back toward   
the jet.  
  
This definitely stirred the rest of the watching Clan's blood, for they   
immediately started the fight again, with renewed vigor.  
  
Bunnie lashed out with her right leg, extended to ten feet, and took down a   
dozen of them. Still they kept coming. "Ah think we best be headin' on   
out," she hollered, backing toward the jet.  
  
Rotor blew a giant hole in the ceiling with his cannon as the others began to   
board their flight. As Sally was entering, she shouted to everyone, "How are   
we going to take off with these ninjas swarming all over us?"  
  
"I can fly," Tails and Damien answered at the same time.  
  
"Yes, I can see your logic," she answered. She put her hand on Tails's   
shoulder. "Be careful, okay, Miles?"  
  
"Sal-lee!" Tails said, agonizingly.  
  
"I know, I know... Tails. Just come out of this alright."  
  
The plane, full of its passengers, took off, with Tails and Damien keeping   
the ninjas from causing any unexpected delays. Eventually, they took off   
into the night sky and caught up to the jet (which was going very slowly).   
As they entered the cabin, Bunnie saluted them.  
  
"Welcome to Trans-Mobius Airlines," she said cordially. "Can Ah get you a   
complimentary bag o' peanuts?"  
  
"No, thanks," Damien said. "I don't eat."  
  
"Escusé Moi," Antoine said nervously, "but it appears we 'ave a stowaway."  
  
Everyone (except Rotor, whom was flying) turned and noticed for the first   
time the red-clad bunny slumped against the wall.  
  
"Enosh!" Tails shouted.  
  
"What?!" Rotor exclaimed, now turning to look.  
  
"I must've accidentally thrown him into the jet," Damien said.  
  
Tails stooped over his foe. He was out cold. To be sure, he lifted one of   
his eyelids, and received a slight surprise.  
  
"Hey, guys," he said over his shoulder. "This guy's irises are clear."  
  
"What's that, Miles?" Sally said, moving closer.  
  
Tails let it slide that time. "There's no color; they're just white eyes   
with a black dot in the middle. Kinda weird."  
  
"Zo," Antoine said, eyes narrowing, "what should we do with 'eem?"  
  
"I guess throw him in jail," Sally asked. "Maybe he'll tell us something   
important when he wakes up."  
  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
Sally, Tails and Damien burst through the door and marched over to where a   
short, brown porcupine named Dylan was standing.  
  
"I'm glad you got here so quickly," he said, leading them down the hall.   
"The prisoner is going nuts! He acts like one of his distant ancestors."  
  
They reached the end of the hall and came to a door marked "MAX S." Dylan   
took out his keys, unlocked it, and swung it open.  
  
They could all immediately hear the screams and thrashing. They got louder   
as they walked down the hall and turned left. They saw the reason as they   
arrived at the cell.  
  
Enosh was crouched on the sink, eyes wild and feral-looking. His clothes   
were ripped, as were the sheets on the bed. As he saw the four, he leapt at   
the bars, striking his head and falling to the floor, lifeless.  
  
"Again?" Dylan said, unlocking the cell door. "That's the third-"  
  
"LOOKOUT!"  
  
Enosh had the frightened porcupine pinned to the floor, his saliva dripping   
from his mad grin. He reared his right fist back, preparing to introduce   
him to eternity.  
  
Damien acted quickly, blasting him in the chest. He flew back and slammed   
into the wall, then slid down to the floor.  
  
Sally leaned over the porcupine. "Are you okay?"  
  
He stood shakily. "Yeah, but my heart may take a few hours to return to   
normal." He turned his attention to Enosh. "We'd better get him to the   
maximum security ER. Can you-"  
  
Enosh stirred, and his eyes fluttered open. Tails was struck that his irises   
were now a deep violet. He seemed confused, and his breath was ragged.  
  
"Wh-where-" he gasped. His eyes focused on Tails. "You!" He tried to get   
up, but hadn't the strength. He looked up at him with a weakness etched on   
his face Tails had seldom witnessed. "I- I'm sorry, young fox..."  
  
"Huh?" Tails said, puzzled.  
  
"I *cough*... I've done terrible things... dishonorable things. But it was   
Simone... she- she-" He clutched his chest, wincing; then he motioned to   
Tails.  
  
"Simone what?" he asked, crouching over him.  
  
Enosh struggled to speak, and at last managed it. "Mind... control," he   
whispered hoarsely. "I'm... i-innocent." He paused to catch his breath.   
"Save... me..."  
  
"I don't know if we can," Tails said, skeptically. He still didn't know if   
he could trust him, but he seemed to be telling the truth.  
  
He spoke again, this time his voice barely audible. "Fr... freeze... me..."  
  
Then his eyes closed, and his breathing slowed. He was dying.  
  
Tails quickly turned to the three gathered around him and the near-fatal  
Mobian. "Can we save him?" he asked, directing his question toward Sally.  
  
She seemed to consider this a moment. "Let's try."  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
The steady patter of rain against the window was soothing. It helped to   
alleviate the tension in the room.  
  
The raised table was slowly lowering Enosh into the pit. All along the walls   
of the circular depression in the floor were round nozzles, and the entire   
floor was a grating. Finally, the table stopped, and the door closed above   
him.  
  
It had been determined that cryogenic freezing was the only way to possibly   
save him. Although the many machines hooked up to him kept him from death's   
door, he could never bee taken off of them, and they couldn't awaken him.   
The only hope now was that someday a way would be discovered to heal him.  
  
Rotor pulled a lever that locked the round portal in the floor. He looked   
over to a yellow-feathered duck in a white labcoat.  
  
"Is he ready, Dr. Quack?" Rotor asked.  
  
"As ready as he'll ever be," the doctor said, looking at a screen with the   
rabbit's current vitals. "Sally?"  
  
Sally, Tails, Damien, and Dylan were intently watching another screen- one   
with a visual of Enosh in the freezing chamber. "Hmm?" Sally said,   
distractedly.  
  
"Are we ready?" Dr. Quack persisted.  
  
She sighed and turned to him. "I guess we are."  
  
Rotor grasped another lever and pulled it.  
  
There was a hissing sound. All eyes turned to the monitor to watch their   
unconscious foe be enveloped by frigid steam. It rapidly condensed on him   
and the equipment.  
  
"How long does this take?" Tails asked. He was trying not to cry at the   
sight.  
  
"It's almost done," Rotor replied softly.  
  
By now the moisture had condensed and frozen on the camera lens, and they   
could no longer see. Then a green, domed light over the monitor came on.  
  
"There," Rotor said. He pushed the first lever, then pulled another one.  
  
The door irised open, and inside the pit was a block of ice, roughly shaped   
like Enosh and his life-supporting instruments.  
  
Rotor moved to another set of controls and worked them. A clawed mechanical   
arm dropped to the frozen Mobian. The claw clutched the mass of ice, and   
moved along the ceiling toward a set of double doors. They slid into the   
walls, and the claw carried Enosh into the room beyond.  
  
"That's it," Dr. Quack said shortly. "He'll be put with the others."  
  
The room was silent a moment. Then Dylan broke the silence.  
  
"Doc," the young porcupine asked, "how will they know that he was a criminal?"  
  
"There's a warning attached to his vital statistic datadisk," he replied.   
"It's put in a metal box that's only half frozen. The thawers can access it   
before unfreezing him and decide whether or not they can heal him... or   
should."  
  
"Will he... make it?" Tails asked.  
  
The doctor sighed. "That's up to future generations."  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
Rotor and Damien were working diligently on the teleporter, and Tails was   
helping when he could. They had it all set up, and were now making sure all   
the inner circuitry was right.  
  
"This is backwards... isn't it?"  
  
"No, it's right."  
  
"Hand me those plans."  
  
"OW!"  
  
"Anybody seen a .3 laser?"  
  
It had been about two weeks since Enosh had been put into "hibernation." A   
sweep of the area including the storage facility had turned up nothing; the   
Black Blood Clan was long gone. With the action over, they had had time to   
feel Sonic's absence. Tails refused to run through the woods, as he and   
Sonic once had, and at breakneck speed, I might add. Sally would spend hours   
at a time alone in her hut, the door locked. She offered no explanation, but   
they all knew she didn't want them to see their leader cry.  
  
In fact, it was the building of the teleporter that kept the entire village   
from falling apart with grief.  
  
Presently, Damien was communicating with Sally via his internal radio.  
  
"We can only hope, Princess," he was saying. "I personally think this test   
will prove to be successful."  
  
"I'll be right there," she replied, then signed off.  
  
When she entered the hut they'd cleared out to set up in, she was startled.   
She hadn't seen it in quite some time, and they hadn't put it together yet.   
It was set on an oblong metal platform. At the far end was a circular   
doorway, and behind that was nothing. Studding the door frame were silvery   
spikes, and on the floor under the arching door was a near flat lens. On the   
other end of the platform was a set of controls. Rotor was standing at these.  
  
"Hi, Aunt Sally," Tails said as she entered.  
  
"Hello, Tails," she said, "everyone. Are we all set?"  
  
"Yes," Rotor said.  
  
"Go ahead then," she said, walking over to join them near the controls.  
  
Rotor's hands flew over the buttons, sometimes pausing briefly to make a   
decision. Finally, he slowly pushed a slider.  
  
The lens lit up slowly, a very light blue. It glowed brighter and brighter,   
until finally it shot its beam up into the doorway. The raw energy sizzled   
through the spikes, then opened the rift in the universe.  
  
It was white, purest white in the center, filtering off into light blues   
nearest the spikes.  
  
"Portal open," Rotor yelled over the machinery's terrific noise.  
  
"Go ahead," Sally returned impatiently.  
  
Rotor turned a knob and pressed a few buttons.  
  
Something went awry. The light flickered, turned red, then everything went   
black.  
  
Everything stayed that way for awhile. No one knows how long. But, slowly,   
the world faded through the color spectrum and back into existence.  
  
They all felt themselves to make sure they were still there. Then, they saw   
something coming through the now-stable portal.  
  
"Sonic!" Tails shouted.  
  
The others could now see what he meant. There was the hazy hint of the shape   
of pointy spines. The round head, thin arms and legs, height; it was him,   
alright.  
  
Or was it?  
  
Now the figure was coming into focus better, and they could see features they   
didn't recognize. Hair, falling into his eyes. A trenchcoat. Boots. A   
sword strapped to his back.  
  
The figure was here now, and Rotor shut off the portal's energy. As they   
looked back to the dimensional traveler, something definitely caught their   
attention.  
  
His fur was black.  
  
The trenchcoat he wore was a dark red, and his boots were black. He was also   
wearing blue jeans and a dark blue sweatshirt under these.  
  
The mysterious hedgehog blinked, then tensed. His eyes fell on the group by   
the control panel.  
  
His hand flew to the hilt of his sword, drawing out a gleaming katana blade   
with remarkable swiftness.  
  
"Who are you?" he snapped.  
  
"We are the Freedom Fighters," Sally said, a bit unnerved. "And you?"  
  
He seemed to relax a bit. "I am... wondering where I am, and how I got   
here."  
  
"We teleported you here by mistake," she said, gesturing to the control   
panel. "You're in Knothole Village. We were trying to find our friend,   
Sonic."  
  
At this, the stranger raised an eyebrow. "What? How do you know my brother?"  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
the end  
(chapter two is  
coming soon) 


	2. Dark Ally

Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction  
by Sonic Dust (dustinman77@hotmail.com)  
  
Sonic, Tails, Sally, Rotor, Bunnie, etc. are © Sega, Archie Comics, and Dic. Used by me! without permission, since... oh, geez, it's a fanfic!  
  
Damien, Enosh, and Simone are my characters; please do not use them without permission. Thanx.  
  
More copywright info at the bottom.  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------  
NOTE: SonicWorlds will make little sense if you haven't read "The Mech of Mystery."  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
SonicWorlds  
Chapter 2  
"Dark Ally"  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
Tails shook his head vigorously. His ears had to be wrong. He had not had a very normal life, but this was one of the most baffling things that he had ever encountered.  
  
The strange hedgehog stepped toward them. "Well?"  
  
Sally finally found her voice. "Wh-what?"  
  
The stranger cleared his throat. "HOW DO YOU KNOW MY BROTHER?"  
  
No one moved. They were all thinking the same thing. Damien spoke for them all.  
  
"He... has a brother?"  
  
The dark visitor turned to him and narrowed his eyes. "You're his friends, eh?" He tightened his grip on his katana.  
  
"Yes, but..." Sally began. "Well, he never told us..."  
  
"I find that... hard to believe," he replied. He moved across the platform toward them. "How do I know you aren't spies, trying to capture the royal family?"  
  
"Royal?!" Tails exclaimed.  
  
The stranger's head whipped around to face the young fox. "Tails? You know this group?" He sighed and sheathed his blade. "Well, then I guess I can trust you all." He stepped off the platform and walked toward him.  
  
Tails looked toward Sally and the others, then back toward him. "What? Who are you?"  
  
He stopped. "Who... Tails, are you okay? Did you use some kind of weird spell on yourself?"  
  
Tails about passed out at this. "Whaaat?! I don't know magic! How do you know my name?"  
  
He stroked his chin, his eyebrows knitted. "This... doesn't make sense..." He turned to him. "If you don't know me... am I in the past?" He looked to Rotor, whose hands were still at the controls. "You, the Walrus... what does this thing do?" He gestured toward the now inactive portal.  
  
"Uh, it's a dimensional transporter," he replied.  
  
The dark hedgehog's eyes grew wide. "Then... I'm not in the past... I'm on a different Mobius!" His attention snapped back to Tails. "This is Mobius, and you are Tails, right?"  
  
"Y-yeah," he said.  
  
"Okay..." He sat down on the edge of the platform, his head in his hands. "I've been jerked from home into an alternate dimension... some 'mistake', huh?"  
  
"We're so sorry about this," Sally said. "We were just-"  
  
"Trying to find Sonic, I heard you." He looked up at her. "You mean your own Sonic, right?"  
  
"Yes, of course," she said.  
  
He nodded. "Is he still a speed demon, and rash as ever?"  
  
"Yeah," Tails said.  
  
"But you can't do magic here, eh, Miles?"  
  
"No, I can't," he said, even more unsettled that this stranger knew his real name.  
  
He nodded again. "And evidently, Manic and I don't exist here... wait," he said looking at Tails again. "You did say he had no brothers... what about a sister?"  
  
Tails's curiosity was growing with every hint about this other universe. "No, why?"  
  
"Then Sonia's not here, either..."  
  
"Please, who are you?"  
  
He looked up suddenly. "Wait a minute. I won't be screwing up a timeline or something if I tell you, will I?"  
  
"Well, you're from a different dimension," Rotor said, "so, no."  
  
"Well, then," he said, standing. He extended a gloved hand to the young fox, and they shook. "My name is Bane Hedgehog."  
  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
"A keyboard?"  
  
They were gathered in Sonic's hut, sipping hot tea and exchanging information about each other's dimensions. Everybody was wide awake, even though it was well past midnight. Nobody could even fathom sleep at a time like this.  
  
"Why couldn't I have drums?" Tails was saying. "I like the drums - and the guitar, too. I have one in my hut. Keyboards just seem so... lame, I dunno."  
  
"Well, that's just what you got with your medallion, kid," Bane replied. He didn't really care for tea, but it was warm, and it was a cold night. "YOU don't have to play it anyway, so don't worry about it."  
  
"Yeah, I know. It's so weird knowing there's a copy of me out there." He looked at Bane's medallion. It was white, and shaped like a microphone. "You sing, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Can I hear something?"  
  
He considered. "Well, I don't have any music to sing to."  
  
"Could you sing to a guitar piece? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?"  
  
He smiled. It didn't look like he did that often. "Sure. I mess around with the guitar, too, but I'm not as good as Sonic. I know a song I can play for you."  
  
"GREAT!" He jumped up and ran out the door.  
  
Sally laughed. "I'd say he thinks you're all right."  
  
"Yeah," he replied. "He's a bit different here... more grown up, but... I don't know, not in some ways."  
  
"So, what of the Acorn family?" she said, barely daring to ask. "Are we...?"  
  
"Well, I've never heard of you," he said, "but that doesn't mean you don't exist. You just aren't royalty."  
  
"But Sonic is," Damien said. He had begun to think of his own dimension. "And Hom- i mean, Mobitropolis is still populated by Mobians?"  
  
"Yes, but the numbers are dwindling. Robotnik loves to enforce his laws, and that always means roboticization or..."  
  
"He sounds more like a greedy politician than an evil tyrant," Rotor commented. "I still don't like him."  
  
Just then Tails rushed back in, lugging an old electric guitar and an amplifier. "It was... Sonic's," he said, setting them down heavily. "He used to play, but when he gave it up, he gave it to me."  
  
"Hmm..." Bane said, looking it over. "I wonder why he did..." He plugged the amp into the wall and tuned the guitar a bit. "This song wasn't written by the Sonic Underground, but I like it a lot." Then he touched his medallion, and it transformed into a microphone on a stand before their eyes in a brilliant flash.  
  
"WOW!" Tails shouted.  
  
He lowered the stand to his height (he was sitting), and found a good setting on the guitar pedal. "Okay."  
  
======================================================================  
"Breña"  
by A Perfect Circle  
  
(a slow, fairly soft song in a minor key; Bane is performing it without the drums or keyboards)  
  
My reflection   
Wraps and pulls me under   
Healing waters to be   
Bathed in Breña   
  
Guide me safely in   
Worlds I've never been to   
Heal me, heal me   
My dear Breña   
  
Vulnerable...   
It's alright   
  
Heal me, heal me   
My dear Breña   
  
Show me lonely and   
Show me openings to   
Bring me closer to you   
My dear Breña   
  
Vulnerable...   
It's alright   
  
Openings to... heal...   
Openings to... heal...  
  
Heal...  
  
======================================================================  
  
"That was great," Tails said as Bane replaced his microphone. "Can you do another one?"  
  
"I would," he said, "but I'm beat. Is there someplace I can crash?"  
  
"Well, let's see," Sally said. "I think there's an empty room in the motel. If I escort you, they won't charge."  
  
"Thanks. Finally, a place where royalty is respected instead of shot on sight." He handed the guitar to Tails. "Here ya go."  
  
"Could you... sign it?"  
  
Bane smiled again. "Not like it'll be worth anything in this dimension... except maybe to you guys." He pulled out a marker and autographed it: "To Tails: I think you're _both_ pretty cool. Bane".  
  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
Bane couldn't sleep, despite himself. Robonik was alive here, and his family wasn't here to help defeat him again. Even though he probably wouldn't run into any trouble before he went back home, it still made him cautious. He rolled out of bed and put on his trenchcoat. He wasn't going to get a wink tonight.  
  
The dark-furred hedgehog climbed out the window, grabbed the edge of the thatched roof and hauled himself up. Careful to step on the beams underneath only, he made his way to the center of the roof and crouched. If he wasn't going to sleep, he may as well get some fresh air.  
  
The sky was pretty clear tonight, only a few wispy clouds off to the east. The stars shone high above his head, aranged around the silvery half moon in an eye-pleasing manner. The little village was very peaceful at night. There were no street lamps, and no one was awake. Mobitropolis never slept.  
  
He wished Manic was here. He had been hanging out with him a lot lately, and they were not only brothers, but best friends. As nice as these people were, he didn't know any of them. If all went well tomorrow, he wouldn't have a chance to make friends with any of them; he would be back in Sanctuary.  
  
Suddenly he heard a thud right next to him. He jumped to his feet and whirled around to come face to face with a rabbit.  
  
"Mind tellin' me who you are, shuga?"  
  
He backflipped and landed a few feet away. He started to grab for his sword, but stopped himself; it was under his feet, in his room. "You make a good entrance, don't you?" he said, beginning to call forth the familiar dark energies. His sword wasn't his only defense.  
  
He studied her: a lithe female bunny with yellow-tan fur. She was a cyborg, posessing a robotic left arm and legs. That arm was held straigt, pointed directly at him, and he realized she had a wrist-mounted laser.  
  
"Ah try," she drawled in a strong Southern accent. "Now, what're you doin' perched on top o' Knothole Inn?" She moved toward him. "We don't need any gargoyles, hon'."  
  
Bane sighed and released his powers. She was on guard duty. Obviously no one besides Tails, the princess, and Damien knew he was here. "I'm just... staying the night."  
  
"Oh, you are? May Ah suggest gettin' a room?"  
  
"I have one. I can't sleep."  
  
"That's all fine and good, then. We still haven't answered mah question."  
  
Bane wished Princess Acorn had announced his presence to the Village, or at least to security. It would have... prevented this. "I don't intend to. I won't be staying long, so please go back to your post."  
  
Her eyebrows raised. "Yes, sir, Mr. Mystery." She turned around leaped off the roof.  
  
Bane was startled. "Hey-"  
  
To his surprise, the bottoms of her feet lit up, and she rocketed up to a small platform high in a tree. She landed deftly, then turned and sat down, glaring at him.  
  
He had a feeling she wasn't going to stop watching him for a second, so he walked to the edge of the roof and swung back into his room. He hung his coat on the back of the door and moved his sword from the floor to the nightstand. Then he lied down on the bed.  
  
He stared at the ceiling for what seemed like hours. He checked the digital clock on the bedside table: 3:05 AM. He wished he could fall asleep. He wanted to get up early tomorrow and explore the village better before it was gone forever.  
  
He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He casually rolled over, his hand "accidentally" resting on the hilt of his katana. Then he sprang from his bed and held the intruder at the business end of his blade in one fluid motion.  
  
It was the rabbit again.  
  
She was looking in his window, no doubt making sure it was truly his room. Now she had a look of terror on her face, for she was deathly afraid he would actually drive it into her throat.  
  
"Please, I would like to get some sleep."  
  
"Ah- right..." she said, swallowing hard.  
  
"Try not to sneak up on me. My sword is like my third arm, and you don't want it to... caress you."  
  
They stood there for a moment, one afraid to make the slightest movement, the other simply making his point, as it were. Then Bane flung the sword into the dresser, sticking it in the exact center of the top drawer's knob.  
  
The rabbit gasped. "Oh mah stars..."  
  
"Good night."  
  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
"Your majesty."  
  
"Likewise, son." King Acorn shook hands with the black-furred hedgehog. "It's not every day I get to meet a member of the royal family... especially from another reality!"  
  
"I know, sir." Bane had left his sword and trenchcoat in his room, as he didn't deem it appropriate to meet a king wearing such things. "Though I'm just a prince."  
  
"Well, you've met our prince, haven't you?" He gestured to his son Elias, who was standing nearby.  
  
"Yes, Sally introduced us."  
  
"Of course. Well, I have to go in for therapy," the king said, releasing the lock on his wheelchair. "I'd like to walk again. It was nice meeting you, Prince Bane."  
  
"You too, your higness."  
  
Sally took the handles and guided him out of the courtyard, followed closely by Queen Alicia and Elias.  
  
Bane wasn't sure what to do now. He was alone in a room full of complete strangers. There was a skunk wearing a beret, a cat in a vest, a walking... bomb, a roboticized hedgehog-  
  
Uncle Chuck!  
  
He walked over to him, curious. If he was roboticized, what was he doing here? Had they found a way to free the minds of Robians?  
  
"Sir Charles?"  
  
He turned from his conversation with a wombat wearing a cap. "That's me. Can I help you, son?"  
  
"No, well... It's just that... well, do you know who I am?"  
  
His red pupils scanned him. "No, I don't think so. Should I?"  
  
Bane took a deep breath. "Simply put, I'm one of your nephews in another dimension."  
  
"What?" Even though his metallic features didn't change much, he looked shocked. "You... how did you get here?"  
  
Bane sat down on a bench. "Care to hear the tale?"  
  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
There he was. Talking to Unckle Chuck. Like nothing happened.  
  
Bunnie didn't like him. He was so evil! She knew he was supposed to be on their side, but he gave her that sort of dark vibe, and she couldn't shake it. She'd gone to the Princess and found out about him, and still didn't buy it. Her self-appointed mission was to make sure he was who he said he was.  
  
Bane now stood, and embraced his other world uncle. She cocked her rather large ears and tried to hear what he was saying, but couldn't make it out.  
  
Bunnie tensed. He was now heading straight towards her. She cast a quick glance around, but there was nothing she could do to avoid him.  
  
"Hello," he said as he reached her. "I don't believe we've met."  
  
Ah, so last night didn't exist, she thought. "No, we shoah haven't. Ah'm Bunnie Rabbot." She extended her left hand. Trust test; most people with something to hide would never shake a roboticized hand without checking it first.  
  
To her surprise, he took it without hesitation. "My name is Prince Bane Hedgehog, but Bane will do."  
  
"Nice ta meet ya, Bane." Then he pulled her in close and whispered.  
  
"No hard feelings... I was very tired."  
  
Then he was leaving through the doors back into the castle.  
  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
"Well, it's been a pleasure, all."  
  
Sally put on a pair of goggles. "Yes, it was nice meeting you, Prince Bane."  
  
"Wish we could've talked with you more," Rotor said from his place at the control panel.  
  
"Yeah," Tails agreed. He was holding the guitar the dark hedgehog had put his mark on. "Maybe we'll see ya!"  
  
Bunnie stood in the back of the room, watching him closely. She knew it was probably nonsense, but she still didn't like him. She had followed him around all day and he hadn't done anything to earn her suspicion, but...  
  
"Portal open."  
  
Bane took a deep breath. "Do I just... step through?"  
  
"I suppose," Damien said. "We've never sent anyone through."  
  
"Never?" He looked back at them. "Exactly how long have you had this portal?"  
  
"A couple weeks," Tails said meekly.  
  
Bane gritted his teeth. "I guess I'll just have to hope it'll work." He hesitated, then waved goodbye as he moved toward the portal.  
  
Then there came the explosion.  
  
Not from the portal, but from somewhere close, outside. The walls shook, and several things on the shelves fell to the floor. The friends fell to the floor, grabbing for each other or something solid.  
  
The portal flashed brilliantly and winked out.  
  
As the shaking subsided, they stood slowly, checking themselves and each other.  
  
"Oh, dear lord," Bunnie said, standing. "What in heaven's name was that all about?"  
  
"I don't- the portal," Sally said. "Bane?"  
  
"Here," he said, leaning against the wall. "What's going on? Any ideas?"  
  
Damien moved to the window and opened the blinds. "Fellow Freedom Fighters," he said slowly, "you may want to see this."  
  
They all crowded around the window.  
  
Several huts were gone, nothing but smoking craters. There were also several random places on the ground in the same condition. They could hear the scream of fighter jets overhead as they flew past, dropping their payload.  
  
"They've found us!" Tails shouted.  
  
"Who?" Bane asked. "Robotnik?"  
  
"No doubt," Damien said. "I knew this place was too out in the open."  
  
"In the middle of the forest?" Rotor said. "I didn't think so."  
  
"What do we do, y'all?" Bunnie said, panicky. "We can't stay here 'till we're all knocked on our little ol' behinds!"  
  
"We have to take it to the air," Bane said. "Do we have any planes?"  
  
"Of course," Tails said. "The Tornado!"  
  
"Great. One plane."  
  
"Well, I can fly," Damien, Tails and Bunnie said simultaneously.  
  
"[sigh] Go get your gear, Tails," Sally said. "You'll need firepower."  
  
"I just hope my hut's still intact," he said, dashing out the door. Bunnie and Damien exited after them, taking off into the sky. They could see Bane ask Tails for the location of his plane, then take off toward the airstrip.  
  
Sally and Rotor stood there a minute, nervous.  
  
"Boy, do I feel useless," Sally said, slumping.  
  
"Yeah," Rotor said. "Oh, wait, my gun!" He whipped out his Bad Mamma Jamma and whirled it until it was to full size. "I bet I could pick off a few from the ground with this baby!" He ran outside and stood where a house had been, firing high-power laser shots into the sky.  
  
"Yep," Sally said, crossing her arms. "Useless." She had been thinking about that a lot lately. She did plan the sabotage missions and all that, but... she never got to actually fight. She felt like a burden.  
  
There came a sound behind her, a sound of shifting debris. She whirled around in time to see a piece of twisted metal shift slightly.  
  
She set herself in a fighting stance. She may have no weapons or special powers, but she was no pushover. "Who's there? Show yourself!"  
  
The junk moved aside, and a familiar figure rose unsteadily to his feet. She couldn't believe it. Was it-  
  
"S-Sonic?"  
  
The blue hedgehog's head jerked up. "Huh?"  
  
"Sonic!" she cried, running into his arms. "Oh, how did you- where... oh, I don't care, you're here!" She pulled back to gaze at him, and frowned. "What's the matter?"  
  
He was looking at her with a bewildered look on his face. "Who the heck are you?"  
  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
the end  
(chapter 3 is  
on its way)  
  
Bane Hedgehog is © Bane Keldare. 


	3. Relations

Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction  
by Dustin Lawson (dustinman77@hotmail.com)   
  
Sonic, Tails, Sally, Rotor, Bunnie, etc. are © Sega, Archie Comics, and Dic. Used by me! without permission, since... oh, geez, it's a fanfic!   
  
Damien, Enosh, and Simone are my characters; please do not use them without permission. Thanx. Bane is ©Bane Keldare.  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------   
  


_SonicWorlds_  
Chapter 3  
"Relations"  
¤¤§¤¤

  
  
Sally was dumbfounded. Her mind went over the words once again... they didn't register. "W... Who?" Who was he talking to? Was it him? Or was she imagining this all? Another possibility drifted through. What if she had somehow changed? Was she really herself? She looked down and saw the same old brown fur she saw every day, ending in the same old blue boots she had worn for years. Why didn't he recognize her?   
  
She looked up at him. He looked the same, as well; bright, green eyes, sharp blue spines, white medallion, red shoes, the-   
  
White medallion?   
  
Sally and the presumed Sonic backed away from each other slowly, eyeing each other with suspicion.   
  
"Sorry, miss, but I don't think we've ever met," he began. He looked around at the hut. "I don't even know where I am."   
  
These words broke her heart, but she could hear the truth in them. The only thing keeping her tears in check was her uncertainty of this stranger's identity. "A... Are you Sonic?"   
  
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be, squirrely-girl?" He started to laugh, but stopped when he saw the look on her face. "What? Hey, what's wr... whoa!"   
  
He ran forward and barely caught her before she hit the floor.   
  
"Hello? Hey, wake up?" He sighed. "Great."   
  


¤¤§¤¤

  
  
"Take this!"   
  
Tails blasted another Stealth Bot with both barrels, sending it spiraling toward the ground far below. "Direct hit!" Unfortunately, it was heading for the Village. "Oh, crap! Bunnie, get it!"   
  
"On it, shuga!" The rabbit flew toward the falling ship, leaving a double-trail of lights behind her. As she finally passed it, she swung underneath it, and brought her robotic arm up to brace it's fall. "WHOOf!" She strained under the weight, but managed to guide its descent away from Knothole.   
  
"Whew, that was a close call," he said, wiping his brow.   
  
"There aren't many left," Damien shouted as he flew past him. "Go check on the other villagers!"   
  
"Oh, right!" Tails shot down to the village, scanning for any survivors, which he hoped were many. As he landed in the town square, he saw many people evacuating their homes, heading for their back-up base. He saw no wounded, so he continued to look. Presently he came upon a young possum couple, the female trapped under a door. He heaved it up and off of her.   
  
"Thank you so much, sir!" he said, helping her to her feet.   
  
"No problem, just get outta here!" They ran off in the same direction as the others.   
  
Tails continued throught the village, helping whoever he came across, sometimes bandaging a wound hurridely. Then, as he passed the hut where the teleporter was, the door flew open.   
  
"What the-"   
  
Sonic. It was Sonic. It had to be him, from his spines to his sneakers.   
  
"Hey, Tails!" He said, running up to him. Tails was too shocked to speak. He was back! Where did he come from? What was going on?! "Is she alright?"   
  
He suddenly noticed Sally was in his arms, unconscious. "Oh, no! What happened?"   
  
"I dunno, she just fell over," he said, shrugging. "I don't know what's wrong with her."   
  
As Sonic set her on the ground, he felt for a pulse. "Well, her heart's fine..." He checked her head for bumps, and glanced her over in general. "She doesn't appear to be hurt at all. She probably passed out or fainted. I don't know why, though."   
  
"Beats me. She hugged me, then asked if I was Sonic, and I said I was, of course... then she looked really weak and kinda sad. The next thing I know, she's diving for the floorboards." He scratched his head. "Weirdest thing. Cool suit, by the way."   
  
"Thanks." Tails stood up. "Well, I guess I can understand her fainting, what with your disappearance and all." He extended his hand. "Good to have you back, man, but... where've you been?"   
  
Sonic's eyebrows arched. "What? When did I disappear?"   
  
Tails was genuinely curious now. "About two and a half weeks ago, man!"   
  
"WHAAT?!" Sonic didn't seem to buy it. "I can't believe this! I lost two weeks!"   
  
"You mean, you don't know where you were?"   
  
"No, I mean the last thing I remember is being home, then being pulled through a ball of light." He looked around. "By the way, where are we now?"   
  
Tails looked at him closely. "You alright, man? This is Knothole!"   
  
"Well, how should I know?" he half shouted. "I don't even know how I got here!"   
  
"Sonic, y-"   
  
"Oooh..."   
  
Their discussion immediately forgotten, they turned their attention to Sally. She was coming around, and they could see her eyes slowly opening.   
  
"S-sonic?"   
  
"Yeah?" the blue hedgehog said... a bit too impersonally for Tails's liking. He seemed concerned, but not as deeply as he should.   
  
"Oh, I was afraid it had been a dream!" She stumbled to her feet and literally fell into his arms. "Sorry, I'm a bit woozy."   
  
"Uh, that's okay, miss."   
  
"MISS?" Sally pulled back and stared hard at him for a moment. He returned her gaze, but didn't understand. She looked away as tears began playing at her eyes. "I was still hoping that part was a dream."   
  
Sonic appeared to be making a connection or two in his mind, but trying not to jump to quite so many conclusions. "I'm sorry, but I'm feeling kinda in the dark here. What's going on?" She opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come.   
  
Luckily, Tails had figured it out by now. "Oh, don't worry about it, dude. She's a friend of Bane's."   
  
"Oh, okay." His brow furrowed. "But where do we know her from? She obvioulsy remembers me from something."   
  
Sally looked at them, distraught, but Tails smiled. "That's what I thought."   
  


¤¤§¤¤

  
  
"Hey, Bane!"   
  
Bane jumped out of the cockpit and walked across the hangar toward him. "Sonic! Where ya been?"   
  
They exchanged a handshake. "Home. More like where YOU been? Manic says he hasn't seen you around Sanctuary the past day or two."   
  
"Here. Did they tell you?"   
  
"Yeah, an alternate Mobius! What a trip, huh?"   
  
Welcome to Caldera Base. A secret Freedom Fighter installation built inside a long-dormant volcano, it had never actually been used for two reasons. For one, it still wasn't finished. And two, they weren't sure the volcano was completely dead. Now, they had no other choice; one way or another, Robotnik had found Knothole, and they all knew if they continued living there it would be signing their death warrant.   
  
The base's biggest problem was that it was extremely warm inside. They couldn't generate enough power to chill the entire base, so the halls and most main rooms remained arid, but individual bedrooms and meeting rooms were well-cooled. Which explained why the meeting in the hangar was as brief as you read above.   
  
They were now heading toward the nearest meeting room to conference. As they gathered around the table, they were very thankful for the air conditioning.   
  
"So, what happens now?" Sonic asked, still not used to the whole idea. "Do we like hit an 'undo' button or what?"   
  
"I'm afraid it may be more complicated than that," Damien said. "Rotor?"   
  
The walrus stood and faced the two otherworlders. "We may not be able to send you home."   
  
"Say WHAT?!"   
  
"Let him speak, Sonic."   
  
"As we've never sent anyone through it, we're not even completely sure it works that way."   
  
Bane looked a little worried. "But it has to. You were going to send me through it."   
  
"I know, but we weren't sure where you would end up. That's why we gave you the earring."   
  
"Hmm?" He reached into his trenchcoat pocket and took it out. He hadn't put it in as neither of his ears were pierced, but had planned to when he got back. "What about it?"   
  
"It has a special device built in that makes it easy for our system to lock onto you, as it creates its own unique signature." He looked apologetic. "If we had sent you to the wrong place, we could've retrieved you with no trouble."   
  
"The good news," Damien continued for him, "is that it wouldn't have mattered. Obviously, it was the correct reality, as when it was destablized by the bombings, it pulled your Sonic through."   
  
"That's so weird for me... 'this' Sonic."   
  
"At least there's only one Bane." The dark hedgehog used the actual earring to pierce his left ear, making a few at the table wince.   
  
"You're pretty extreme," Damien said.   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"Well, what do we do now?" Sonic said. "Can't we go back and get it?"   
  
"Of course we can," Rotor said. "The only problem is whether or not it survived the attack. If it did, we can reassemble it here and get you two home."   
  
"Alright, let's go get it, then!"   
  
"Good thing we've got you," Tails put in. "You can zip in and get it quicker."   
  
"That's my speciality, little bro." He stood up. "Now let's get. The faster we fetch this monster gizmo, the sooner we can get back to our family!"   
  
Bane was oddly silent for a moment. "Hey, bro, what's up?" He looked up at Sonic.   
  
"We can't just leave these poor Mobians like this," he said, standing. "They need us more than ever, now, what with this 'Simone' and all. We should stay and help a while... the wrong Sonic is better than none at all."   
  
"Yeah, I know all that stuff, but I still miss home..."   
  
"Hey, remember that tune we were practicing last week? I put words to it, and I think we need to hear it now."   
  
"Alright, sure."   
  
Bane turned his medallion into his mic, while Sonic morphed his into a double-neck red electric guitar. They were all surprised at this transformation, as they hadn't seen Sonic's guitar before. An amp came out as well, and Bane hooked a small pocket-size device into it.   
  
"Ah, the drum box," Sonic said. "Good thing, too, 'cuz Manic ain't here."   
  
"Okay, let's rock."  
  
======================================================================   
"We're In This Together"  
(by Nine Inch Nails)  
  
(loud, hard techno-rock, medium tempo; Bane sings the whole thing, as he's the only one who knows the words)   
  
  
I've become  
Impossible  
Holding on to when  
When everything seemed to matter more  
  
The two of us  
All used and beaten up  
Watch it fade as it flows  
Down the path we have chose  
  
  
You and me  
We're in this together now  
None of them can stop us now  
We will make it through somehow  
  
You and me  
If the world should break in two  
Until the very end of me  
Until the very end of you  
  
  
Awake to the sounds  
As they peel apart the skin  
They pick and they fall  
Trying to get the fingers in  
  
Well they gotta kill what we found  
Well they gotta hate what they fear  
Well they gotta make you go away  
Well they gotta make you disappear  
  
The farther I fall, I'm beside you  
As lost as I get, I will find you  
The deeper the wound, I'm inside you  
For ever and ever I am a part of  
  
You and me  
We're in this together now  
None of them can stop us now  
We will make it through somehow  
  
You and me  
If the world should break in two  
Until the very end of me  
Until the very end of you  
  
-guitar solo-  
  
You and me  
We're in this together now  
None of them can stop us now  
We will make it through somehow  
  
You and me  
If the world should break in two  
Until the very end of me  
Until the very end of you...  
  
======================================================================   
  
As the music comes to an end, Bane looked at Sonic steadily. Sonic tapped his foot for a few seconds, then spoke.   
  
"Fine, let's kick ol' Buttnik one more time."   
  
Everyone cheered and stood to shake hands, glad to have two new Freedom Fighters on their team, however temporary.   
  
Then Sally came to a halt in front of Sonic. She wasn't sure what to say to him; he was the hedgehog she loved in every way, but then again... he wasn't. It was awkward, and she didn't know how to handle it.   
  
He saved her the trouble. "Good to serve the kingdom, your majesty." He shook her hand, trying to read her expression, then moved on to shake Rotor's.   
  


¤¤§¤¤

  
  
Princess Acorn walked down the hall holding a map, trying to find her room. She needed to think, and she could think of no better place. She also wanted to work on an idea she'd had, but still hadn't worked out all the bugs with. She wasn't sure what she'd do, but she at least had to get out of this sweltering heat.   
  
As Sally passed one of many dining halls, she saw Sonic in there, scarfing down a plate of chili dogs. She raced by quickly. She didn't think she could face him now.   
  
Why did he have to show up? Though they were better off now, things would be so much easier if he hadn't come... for her anyway. She scolded herself for having such a selfish thought, but it didn't make it any less real to her. She had to get to her room.   
  
"PRINCESS!"   
  
{Oh, no, why is he following me?} she thought, walking faster.   
  
"Hey, Princess! Wait up!"   
  
She gave up and turned around. There was no way she could outwalk Sonic the Hedgehog.   
  
"Fast as I am, you gave me a run for my money, there," he said, screeching to a halt in front of her. "Why didn't you stop?"   
  
"Sorry, but I... I'm feeling a bit tired, and felt like a nap." She leaned against the wall. "You wanted something?"   
  
"Well, uh... yeah, I did, kinda." He looked uneasy, but continued. "You always seem sort of... you know, around me. Uncomfortable, I guess is what it is."   
  
She glanced at him, but couldn't read his expression. Then, embarrased, she looked back down toward her boots. "I apologize for that if it makes you feel strange."   
  
"Well, no, not really, it's just that you won't talk to me, and when I first met you, you kinda left consciousness." He leaned against the wall next to her. "I guess what I want is... what's up?"   
  
"What's... up?" She wasn't sure how to go about explaining it. How do you tell someone you love them... but you don't?   
  
After nearly a minute of silence, he spoke up. "Does this have something to do with... your Sonic?"   
  
She still couldn't look at him. "Yes."   
  
"Oh." He thought a moment. "Ohh..."   
  
"Yeah," she said, nodding.   
  
"This clears up a lot of things..." He sighed and turned to go. "Maybe we should just steer clear of each other, then."   
  
"That may be for the best."   
  
"Yeah."   
  
As he walked off, she found herself desperately wanting to call out to him, to be in his arms. But she knew how wrong it would be; she would be using him. With great difficulty, she made her way to her room, the opposite direction. He wasn't her hedgehog, and it wouldn't be fair.   
  
That didn't stop the longing.   
  


¤¤§¤¤

  
  
Sonic sat in a guest room, guitar in his lap, strumming the same chords over and over. Tomorrow they would go back to Knothole, to try to recover the portal thing. He wasn't sure about the details, but it didn't matter. It was better that they tell him in the morning; that way, it would be fresher in his mind.   
  
But he wasn't really thinking about that. As he continued to play, he sang quietly, coming straight from his heart.   
  
======================================================================   
  
You and me  
We're in this together now  
None of them can stop us now  
We will make it through somehow  
  
You and me  
Even after everything  
You're the queen and I'm the king  
Nothing else is anything...  
  
======================================================================   
  
He couldn't stand thinking about it any longer. He returned his guitar to his medallion and flopped down on the bed. Things would make more sense in the morning.   
  


¤¤§¤¤  
the end  
(chapter 4 is  
in your future)  
  



	4. Triple Vision

Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction  
by Dustin Lawson (dustinman77@hotmail.com)  
  
Sonic, Tails, Sally, Rotor, Bunnie, etc. are © Sega, Archie Comics, and Dic. Used by me! without permission, since... oh, geez, it's a fanfic!   
  
Damien, Enosh, and Simone are my characters; please do not use them without permission. Thanx. Bane is ©Bane Keldare.   
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------   
  


_SonicWorlds_  
Chapter 4  
"Triple Vision"  
¤¤§¤¤  


  
  
They were all gathered in the hangar, ready to take off. A small team had been selected to retrieve the portal generator: Sonic, for his speed; Bunnie, for her strength; and Damien, not only for his strength, but he would als be able to ascertain whether or not it could be salvaged.   
  
"Gentlemen, and lady," Princess Sally began, "I wish you the best of luck. Be careful out there; Robotnik is certain to be watching Knothole very closely, and I'd like to see all three of you again." She gave a heavy sigh. "I only wish I could come too."   
  
"Don't worry, Your Majesty," Damien said with a salute. "This mission will not fail. Not if I can help it."   
  
She smiled. "Thank you for offering to lead the team."   
  
"No problem."   
  
As they made their way up the stairs and onto their black jet, Sonic hesitated at the bottom.   
  
"Princess, I th-"   
  
"You shouldn't keep the team waiting, Sonic."   
  
He glanced up at the hatch in the plane, where he could see Bunnie disappearing into the interior, then back toward the young squirrel princess. As she noticed him looking at her, she shifted her gaze toward the ground.   
  
"Uh... right."   
  


¤¤§¤¤

  
  
"We are ovair zee drop zone," Antoine called from the cockpit.   
  
"Alright, troops," Damien said. "Let's make this fast. We need to get in, get the goods, and get out. Any questions?"   
  
Sonic and Bunnie exchanged a glance, then shook their heads.   
  
"Good. Let's go!"   
  
The hatch opened, and the trio plunged from the sky toward the ground far below. Sonic pulled the ripcord on his parachute, and as they neared the ground, Damien and Bunnie switched on their jets.   
  
They landed in what was left of the commons. All around them were the remains of destroyed huts, blackened and useless. Many huts were still intact, but they could only hope one of them was the hut that contained Bane and Sonic's only way home.   
  
"There it is!"   
  
They turned to see where Sonic was pointing. Lo and behold, the building that housed the dimensional vortex was miraculously still standing. It appeared that only a small section of the roof had caved in, presumably due to all the debris flying about from the blasts. Things were beginning to look on the positive side.   
  
As they were walking toward the hut, Bunnie's ears twitched. "Y'all heah that?"   
  
Sonic stopped. "What?"   
  
"Listen." She swiveled her head in all directions, trying to catch it again. Then she whirled around to face them. "We got company, fellas!"   
  
The words had hardly escaped her lips when a horde of Shadowbots came thundering into the village, laser cannons raised and ready for a fight to the death. But the team didn't disappoint them. As Damien and Bunnie readied their arm-mounted blasters, Sonic surprised them by revealing a hidden feature of his guitar; it doubles as a high-power laser rifle.   
  
"ATTACK!"   
  
Our heroes began to plow through the advancing robot squadron, picking them off in hopes of evening the odds before they actually reached their position. Metallic soldiers fell, one after another, unable to override their programming that told them they were to far away to attempt firing on the enemy, for fear of inaccuracy. A fatal design flaw, in the least.   
  
As they finally began to get close enough to take a few shots at them, Sonic put his guitar away again, opting to "spinball" them instead. He showed the same patented speed, agility, and razor-sharp qualities of his counterpart. No doubt, this was Sonic from another Mobius. He picked up a decapitated robot's flattened dome.   
  
[-MUST APPREHEND S-S-S-]   
  
"Forget it, oilpan. This just ain't your day to earn a raise." He threw it with great force into two approaching sentries. "And the ultimate frisbee trophy goes toooo..."   
  
Meanwhile, Bunnie was having a good time of her own, removing various components from the robots, taking them out of comission. Her bionic parts made it almost child's play. Sometimes she wished she was really that strong, without the hardware. But she had been working her flesh-and-blood arm, and though she would never match it with the other in strength, at least she could deliver a good right hook.   
  
Suddenly, she noticed a shadowy figure out of the corner of her eye. She prepared for the worst, but then realized it wasn't moving to attack them; rather, it was fleeing, specifically from their direction. She broke away from the melee and pursued at full tilt. As she neared the mysterious stranger, they noticed and picked up speed.   
  
"Hey, honey!" She leapt forward and ignited her sole jets, rocketing forward and tackling the dark figure.   
  
"Now, y'all got some 'splainin' to d- ooh..."   
  
As she yanked off the hood of the black cloak, she was startled to behold the face of none other than Princess Sally Acorn.   
  


¤¤§¤¤

  
  
"Yuck. This dungeon is the pits."   
  
Suddenly there was the sound of the heavy security door opening. She hated to admit it, but it sent a wave of excitement through her. It had been pretty mundane since they threw her in here, and any diversion was a welcome one.   
  
She could hear voices; that of the warden on duty, and another of a higher pitch. Then the door slammed shut, and all she could hear were footsteps. They seemed to go on for hours, growing louder ever so slowly. Then, their owner appeared from around the corner.   
  
"Oh. It's you."   
  
Tails slowly walked up to the bars. It had been quite some time since she had seen him; he had been cute (like Pokemon-cute) then, but now he was on the verge of handsome. Those features were contorted into a curious mix of contempt and sorrow. She expected the hatred; it was the latter that caught her off guard.   
  
"Well..." she began hesitantly. "What do ya want?"   
  
"What are you doing here?" he spat, a sharp edge to his voice.   
  
"Well, you see, when my mom and dad went on their second honeymoon, th-"   
  
"You know what I mean, Evil Sally."   
  
"Don't call me that," she said, pulling her dark robe tightly around her neck. "Call me Wild Sally, or Sally x2, or-"   
  
"Cut the crap!" the young fox half-shouted, grasping the bars. "Why were you snooping around our old village? What are you even doing in this dimension?!"   
  
"It's a long story." She stood and walked over to him. "And I'm too tired to tell it. So I suggest you hasta la bye-bye so I can get my beauty sleep."   
  
"Yeah," he said angrily. He sighed and began to turn away. "Like you need it."   
  
"What was that, twerp?"   
  
As he turned around, she spotted a funny look in his eyes, a kind of wistfulness. "Do you really care?"   
  
Genuinely curious now, the dark squirrel folded her arms. "Yeah, I do."   
  
He walked up to the bars and grasped them on either side of her, his face only centimetres from her own, his voice barely above a whisper. "I liked you. I actually liked you once. But all that mattered to you was satisfying your need to torture and manipulate people. I still don't know what you had to do with my being imprisoned in that cave, but it's just another item on the long, long list."   
  
"What?" She tilted her head slightly. "What cave?"   
  
Tails rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. Don't play dumb with me."   
  
"No, I really don't know what you're babbling about. I never stuck you in any cave." She laughed. "I'd heard foxes catch senility sooner, but I didn't think it started this young. You're off your nut, small fry."   
  
His fists clenched. For her to even insinuate that it was all in his mind made his blood boil.   
  
"Awww, whassamatter, freak? Did Bad, Bad Sally hurt your little feelings?"   
  
"You, you, you-"   
  
"Me, me, me! Nice comeback, Pavoratti."   
  
Tails didn't know what to do he was so furious. So he did the one thing she least expected.   
  
He kissed her.   
  
He reached through the bars and pulled her head down toward his, and engaged her in a powerful liplock. She fought him with every fiber of her being for those few, eternal seconds. Then he released her. Panting, she darted away from the bars.   
  
"Not bad for a 'freak', eh?"   
  
It was her turn to be tongue-tied. "Well, uh, um... I-it, you can't!!!"   
  
"But I did." He ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know why, but there it is."   
  
"I..." Then she smiled. "Oh, Tails, why didn't I see it before? Come here, you big lug, and give me another one!"   
  
"Fine." There was something about that smile he didn't like. He put the key in the lock and opened the door, pacing towards her. She walked toward him, arms outstretched.   
  
"Oh, my... SUCKER!" She vaulted over his head, kicking it as she passed. She landed in the doorway and turned to him, outrage written all over her face. "Don't you ever do that to me again!"   
  
"Fine."   
  
She started to make a break, then turned back to him. "Hey, foxy, why aren't you trying to stop me?"   
  
"Oh, yeah. Stop, guldarn it, or I'll shoot."   
  
"You don't have a gun."   
  
"Stop, or I won't shoot."   
  
Her eyes narrowed. "You planned all this. There's a bajillion guards outside, waiting to carry me off to the firing squad."   
  
"Now, what have you done to deserve the death penalty?" He stood up. "Besides, there's no such number as bajillion."   
  
"Don't grammar-check me, you two-tailed weirdo! I'm outta here, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"   
  
"Nothing?"   
  
"Correctamundo!"   
  
He shrugged. "Then I'll see you around."   
  
She turned and paced out. Or was going to. About five steps into it, she looked over her shoulder to where Tails was leaning against the door jamb. She stopped.   
  
"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" he asked. There was a strange, cold look in his eyes. He almost looked like he was-   
  
He was. He was crying.   
  
"Ha. Wuss." She ran to the window and jumped up to it. There were bars on it, but they were old and decrepit. She would have them off in no time.   
  
"You'd better hurry," he said from right behind her. "Those bars have an alarm."   
  
"Buzz off," she said. Unfortunately, she didn't put as much emphasis into it as she meant to. Well, no matter. One more bar-   
  
"So, where you gonna go?"   
  
This made her hesitate. She had no idea. She didn't even know where they'd taken her, besides "a Freedom Fighter base."   
  
"That's none of your beeswax, shorty."   
  
"Oh, right. Silly me."   
  
Finally! The bars were off. She looked out. There was a rocky slope beneath her, and mostly barren land stretching up to the tree line less than a mile away. Luckily, the slope wasn't too steep, and she'd be able to slide down.   
  
"Could you do me a favor before you go?"   
  
She sighed and turned around. "What now?"   
  
"Could you kick me in the face?"   
  
"WHAT?"   
  
He looked away. "I don't want them to know I just let you go. I want it to look like I at least tried to stop you."   
  
"No, get in your own trouble." She started to crawl out, then suddenly turned and gave him a crushing blow to the forehead, sending him flying into the opposite wall.   
  
He slid down, clutching his poor head. "Oh, geez..." He pulled his hand away and saw a little bit of blood staining his glove.   
  
"Don't say I never did nothin' for you, kid." Then she was gone.   
  


¤¤§¤¤

  
  
"So, what happened in there?"   
  
Tails tugged at the bandages. The nurse had put them on too tight, and now his head itched. "I'm not sure."   
  
Princess Sally crossed her arms. "Oh, really? Well, you've got a head injury and my doppelganger has escaped. Doesn't seem like something you'd forget very easily."   
  
"I know."   
  
"Why were you in there, anyway? And why did you unlock the cell door?"   
  
"I don't wanna talk about it."   
  
She put her hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Tails. This is worrying me. I can see her stealing the keys from you, but why would you have them anyway? Now, come on, tell me the truth."   
  
"I..." What could he tell her? It was too weird, especially since they shared the same DNA. "I just wanted to see if I could get it out of her. You know, why she was at Knothole." It was the truth, if only in part.   
  
"Well, you shouldn't have gone in there alone, Miles. You know better than that."   
  
"Aunt Sally..."   
  
She sighed. "Sorry, but it IS your name." She patted him on the shoulder, standing up. "Well, you're good to go. You don't have a concussion or anything."   
  
"Good. Sorry I let you all down."   
  
"It's okay. It didn't really look like she was too much of a threat, anyway. I just wish we could've found out why she was there..."   
  
As they walked out toward the front desk, Tails wondered why he'd done what he'd done. Had he been trying to win her over? He guessed that must've been it. A mistake. Too late to correct now.   
  
He decided to change the subject. "So, how's the portal coming?"   
  
"Hmm? Oh, fine. There wasn't any damage, so it won't take long to reassemble here. Though it's not a big deal right now; Bane and S- his brother aren't going home until we get all this settled."   
  
"Oh." Tails wondered why she didn't mention Sonic by name. It must just be too tender of a subject, since her hedgehog was God-knows-where.   
  
"Hello," said the young lizard girl behind the counter. "How may I help you?"   
  
Tails held up the wrist that bore the medical bracelet. "Miles Prower to check out."   
  
"Okay," she said, pulling up his records on the terminal in front of her. She adjusted her glasses. "There you are. Hope you enjoyed your stay, and we hope we don't see you anytime soon."   
  
"Heh, me too."   
  
She smiled and waved as they walked toward the exit.   
  
Suddenly, the doors burst open, and in ran a strange woman carrying-   
  
Sally gasped. "It's her!"   
  
"Evil Sally?" He rushed over to them. "Who are you? What happened to her?"   
  
"One side, young man," she shouted, rushing to the desk. "Where may I take her? She has severe contusions and bleeding, possible broken bones!"   
  
"Oh, no!" The receptionist pointed down a hall. "The ER is that way! Room 5 is unoccupied, I believe! I'll get someone to work on her right away!"   
  
"Many thanks," she shouted, running toward the door with a nurse and several interns at her heels, while the girl moved to the intercom and paged Dr. Quack.   
  
Tails looked after them until the double doors swung shut, then he turned to Sally. "What's going on?"   
  


¤¤§¤¤

  
  
"Princess?"   
  
Sally and Tails looked up. "Oh, hi, Dr. Quack," she said. "How is she?"   
  
"Not too well, I'm afraid." He wiped his forehead. "She's stable, and there's still plenty of hope to go around, but she's in bad shape. I don't know what happened, but she probably shouldn't do it again."   
  
"Thank you," Tails said. "Can we see her?"   
  
"Sorry. Staff only right now."   
  
"Oh." He thought a minute. "Well, can we talk to that other lady? You know, the one who brought her in?"   
  
"Sure. She's standing outside the other Sally's door, down that hall and to the right." He shook his head. "I never will understand things around here..."   
  
"Thanks." The two of them stood and walked toward the indicated corridor. When they turned the corner, they saw the woman.   
  
In the rush, Tails hadn't really noticed what she looked like. She was a brown-furred squirrel, about Sally's height. She had long, wavy auburn hair with streaks of blonde, and blue eyes, like Sally's. Come to think of it, she looked a lot like Sally, except for a few things here and there. She was as lean, but not in the muscular sense, as she was a more frail creature. She was wearing a long white robe with a hood (which wasn't covering her head at the moment), several pendants, and carrying a golden sceptre, which she was leaning on from exhaustion.   
  
"Hello, ma'am," Sally said, hesitantly.   
  
She looked up wearily, then was suddenly alert. "What sorcery-? Two of them, now?!"   
  
"Excuse me?"   
  
"Oh, gods, what have I done to deserve this task?" She raised her hand to her brow. "Wherefore am I the chosen one?"   
  
Both Tails and Sally were getting more confused by the moment. It was Tails who spoke. "Ma'am, who are you?!"   
  
"My name is Callista," she said with a sigh. "High wizardress and princess of Mobitopia." She turned toward Sally. "And simply put... I am you."   
  


¤¤§¤¤  
the end  
(chapter 5 is  
on the horizon)

  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------   
Guess what? That's right... Callista is © Me, too!  
  



	5. Wizardress, Sorceresss

Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction  
by Dustin Lawson (dustinman77@hotmail.com)  
  
Sonic, Tails, Sally, Rotor, Bunnie, etc. are (c) Sega, Archie Comics, and Dic. Used by me! without permission, since... oh, geez, it's a fanfic!  
  
Damien, Enosh, Simone, and Callista are my characters; please do not use them without permission. Thanx. Bane is (c)Bane Keldare.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
SonicWorlds  
Chapter 5  
"Wizardress, Sorceress"  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
Tails couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Yet _another_ Sally?! Sonic had told him that there were more dimensions than just the reversed one he'd been to, but he'd never really thought too much about it. And yet, here she was, Princess Sally Acorn #3. Tails wondered if he could ever get used to all the weirdness that seemed to plague him constantly.  
  
Sally finally spoke. "Wh-what?"  
  
"I am you," Callista repeated. "But of a different plain of existence. In my realm, I am the only begotten daughter of King Acorn, as you are here."  
  
"Oh, no," Sally said, sinking to her knees. "Not another one..."  
  
"Ah, then you know of she who resides in the room behind me?" She nodded, then looked puzzled. "Then is it you or she that belongs on this plain?"  
  
"It's me," she answered. "That's Evil Sally."  
  
"Evil? ...Strange, I sense her heart is not evil."  
  
"Then you 'sense' wrong. She's one of the most devious women I've ever met."  
  
"That may be true, and she does hold much blackness in her heart. But the darkness has yet to overcome it."  
  
Sally stood up. "So you're trying to say there's hope for her?"  
  
"Exactly." She turned and gazed through the window into the room where the dark doppelganger lay, bandaged almost from head to toe. "If she doesn't take her leave of this world early."  
  
"Right. So where did you find her like this?"  
  
"At the foothill of this great volcano. She looks to have fallen trying to descend it."  
  
Tails perked. 'Oh, no,' he thought. 'It's partly my fault. I let her try to get down that way. I should've given her a lift.' Then he stopped himself, realizing that he shouldn't have even let her escape in the first place.  
  
"So," Sally said, pulling him back to the present. "How and why did you come here?"  
  
"That is certainly a strange tale," the wizardress said, sitting in one of the chairs next to the door. "Are you sure you can stand listening to it in its entirety, or shall I wait for another time?"  
  
"No, let's hear it."  
  
She nodded. "As I have stated before now, I am the high wizardress. That is, I and the high wizard, Sir Charles, are the two greatest practitioners of the white magics in all of Mobitopia."  
  
"Charles?" Sally looked at her evenly. "As in Sir Charles Hedgehog?"  
  
"The same."  
  
Sally smiled. "He's always been an innovator, no matter what dimension he's in."  
  
Tails had to interrupt. "Mobitopia?"  
  
Callista sighed. "Please, I beg of you to not interrupt the story. But very well, I shall proceed in that direction.  
  
"Mobitopia is the great kingdom guided by the righteous hand of my father, King Maximillian Acorn. He is kind and just, and no one has ever dared oppose him... save one.  
  
"Lord Kintobor was an evil, cunning wretch of a man, devious and underhanded as the devil himself. His minions lay waste to many of our villages, raping an pillaging them without mercy. His beloved and high sorceress, Lady Simone, cast spells on their armies, making them strong and resilient many times over."  
  
Tails looked at Sally. "Simone!"  
  
"I heard," she said, eyes wide as dinner plates. "I heard."  
  
"It appears you have heard tell of Kintobor's high sorceress," Callista said. "Very well, then, I will forgo all other description of her.  
  
"Yes, the hand of the evil tyrant overshadowed the poor peasants, despite our armies' countering. So we sent forth a team of the bravest fighters in all the lands to end his reign of terror in one blow."  
  
"Let me guess," Tails said. "The Freedom Fighters."  
  
Callista hesitated. "No, but not far off the mark. Actually, we referred to ourselves as the Freedom Crusaders.  
  
"Yes, I was their commander, given this task by my father. He knew a powerful white magician would be a great boon on the battlefield, but Sir Charles was much to old to be sent. My father hand selected the rest of my charges.  
  
"Sir Maurice, a valiant warrior with a speed unmatched by any other, was the first chosen. He was so quick, he chose to wear very little armor, as it wasn't truly needed, for he had never been injured in combat. Next was a wandering Amazon, whom was serendipitously resting at a local inn when he sent forth the call. Yes, Berrah is the bravest and most fierce of the warrior race of rabbits, but decided their secret village was too constricting for her restless spirit--and I am forever thankful of that.  
  
"Then my father came to the decision that we needed to reciprocate the dark powers with which the evil lord fought. So he searched out a brave sorcerer who would stand loyal to the Kingdom. He was blessed many times over in Kanesku, a brave lad with powers never before seen in all of Mobitopia. The dark echidna completed our party."  
  
"Sounds like a bunch of our friends," Tails said.  
  
"So, flanked by an army of a thousand, the four of us spearheaded an assault on the dark lord's castle. It was a very long and bloody battle, but in the end, we were victorious, destroying Kintobor and all his minions. Unfortunately, his sorceress was nowhere to be seen."  
  
"Because she was too busy messing things up for Damien," Tails muttered.  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"Nevermind."  
  
"As you can imagine, all the king's subjects rejoiced that day. In fact, that was half of a year ago. Peace has reigned since. It was only seven days ago that I was taken from my world and brought to this one by a stranger who stood upon the walls."  
  
"On the walls... like sideways?" Sally scratched her head. "Now where have I heard of that before..."  
  
"From Sonic's latest reports of dimensional travel," Tails said. "He said a guy calling himself a 'zone cop' was always standing sideways."  
  
"Oh yeah, uh... Zonic." She turned to the wizardress. "So he brought you here. Did he say why?"  
  
"To save... myself."  
  
"Oh. Well, I guess you accomplished your mission."  
  
"Now I am unsure of that. He neglected to tell me I would meet with two." She stood and picked up her staff. "Surely if my task had ended with her rescue, he would've returned for me. He has not. Therefore, I must ask, what can I do to aid you?"  
  
Sally sat still for a moment. She drew a deep breath, then turned to Tails. "I don't know. Should we drag her into this as well?"  
  
"Why not? If she's willing to help, we really need it."  
  
"Alright." She turned to the young traveler. "Callista, we have a Lord Kintobor of our own. The biggest difference between yours and ours is that... ours is still alive."  
  
Her head lowered. "I see." The mystic squirrel princess turned, staring ahead at the door. "I have relished the time of peace that we've enjoyed, but I have sensed this need to adventure once again. I guess that was the Lord's way of preparing me for this task." When she turned back to the other two, a deep resolve was set in her face. "I will help you in this matter. No Kintobor shall ever darken the world while blood still flows through me."  
  
Sally stood, a smile glowing on her face. "Welcome to the team."  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
Bane was in the middle of sharpening his katana when the knock came at the door. He hated being interrupted when he was sharpening. It was a precision weapon, and the edge needed to be honed to perfection at all times. Nevertheless, he had to answer it.  
  
No sooner had he turned the knob than the door was pushed open, his brother storming in. As soon as he reached the opposite wall, he turned and walked back to the door. Then he turned again.  
  
"Hey, bro," Bane said. "You can pace in your own quarters, you know."  
  
"It's her," Sonic answered, knowing Bane's next question would be "what's wrong". "Ever since she said I should stay away, I can't help feeling that I shouldn't."  
  
"Uh, okay," Bane said, scratching his head. "Can you give me a little more to go on?"  
  
"The princess, dude. She's in love with me."  
  
"WHAT?! But you just got here!" He laughed. "You do have an ego the size of the Death Egg."  
  
"No, no, not me, the other me." He stopped pacing and sat down heavily on the bed. "The one that belongs here."  
  
"I see," Bane said. "Well, so what?"  
  
He sighed. "So I think I'm beginning to feel the same way."  
  
Bane looked at him like he was holding a flaming inner tube, claiming it was his lunch. "Bro, that's just plain stupid. You know she's in love with the other you. Besides, we're going home after this is over."  
  
"What if it's never over?" Sonic looked up at his brother. "What if the war goes on for years, decades even? What if my double never comes back? Should she really be alone?"  
  
"No. Nobody should be alone." He put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "But an alternate dimension substitute is hardly what she needs. She needs friends."  
  
He sighed. "I guess you're right. Thanks, Bane."  
  
"Anytime, Sonic."  
  
Then the hedgehog raced out the door, leaving Bane to pick up where he left off.  
  
"Still too dull," he muttered, picking up the small grindstone once again.  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
"Damien?"  
  
The roboticized Overlander didn't make any move to turn around. He'd been studying a map of Mobius, picking out subtle differences between it and his version. It was all very fascinating, but mostly he was doing it to pass the time.  
  
"Yes, Princess?"  
  
He could not only hear her enter, but sense it as well. Not the way normal people did, feeling vibrations on the floor or "esp", but his scanners alerted him to the presence of a living being, as they always had, since he'd been... changed. He had long ago disabled the automatic prompt asking if he wanted to destroy the target or not, but it still went to alert when one neared.  
  
In this case, two were nearing. His systems seemed to be giving him faulty readings, because it identified them both as Princess Sally. He turned and, with a slight shock, realized it was right.  
  
"Princess, who-"  
  
"This is Callista," she replied, indicating the slightly more fragile version of herself, who curtsied gracefully. "She is also from another dimension, and by that token, is my-"  
  
"Your duplicate."  
  
She looked puzzled. "How did you know?"  
  
He decided to dispense with the technicalities. "A hunch. So, what brings her to our little base in the fiery mountain?"  
  
"A zone cop," she said.  
  
Damien searched his databanks for any recording of such a thing. He came up empty. "Sorry, doesn't ring any bells."  
  
"He's basically a police officer that travels between zones and tries to prevent certain terrible events from occurring. We know of him through S- er, several encounters."  
  
He could sense what she was going to say, but knew why she avoided it. "And he's brought your twin here for what purpose?"  
  
"We're not sure, but it appears to be to help us end the war."  
  
He smiled. "Then shall I say welcome, dear lady." He took her hand and kissed it.  
  
She drew it back quickly. "Cold lips, this golem-person has." She giggled softly.  
  
"Their world isn't quite as technologically advanced as ours," Sally said, almost as if apologizing. "It was about the only way I could explain you."  
  
"It's not too far off," he said. "Don't worry about it."  
  
"She is to be at the meeting in the War Room tomorrow morning. Her magical abilities should be of great use to us."  
  
"Magic?" The humanoid robot knew quite a bit about the subject. The only problem was that it was all myths, nonsense. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be the devil's advocate, but-"  
  
Before he could finish his sentence, he found himself floating above the ground. He checked his hoverpack for malfunction, but it wasn't on at all. Then he noticed Callista's staff was raised, and the sphere in the top end was glowing slightly.  
  
"Okay, proof enough," he said, laughing. "Now would you please put me down?"  
  
"Certainly." She lowered her staff. Damien fell to the ground rather unceremoniously on his hindquarters.  
  
"Thanks," he said, checking for dents.  
  
"But a trifle," she said, smiling.  
  
"Well, we'll leave you alone now," their Princess said. "I need to introduce her to the others so they'll know she belongs at the meeting tomorrow."  
  
"Alright," he said, satisfied that he wasn't damaged. "Nice meeting you, Callista."  
  
"The same to you, kind sir."  
  
As they left, Damien made a note never to scoff at anything he didn't have firsthand experience with. After all, it might come back to bite him in the... end.  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
Tails was on his way down the arid halls toward his living quarters. He'd spent the past half hour listening to Sonic play the guitar, who he found out could play even better than Bane, if only by a slight margin.  
  
As he neared the hall that branched off toward his room, he glanced up at the arrow pointing in the other direction, the one with the red cross on it. The hospital. He decided against going back to his room just yet; he wanted to check in on the patient.  
  
The receptionist told him to go ahead, but that visiting hours would be over in fifteen minutes. He walked down the hall toward her room. When he reached the door, he paused a minute, took a deep breath, then went in.  
  
He was surprised to find Callista positioned over her, eyes closed tightly, her delicate hands positioned over her cracked ribs. As she heard him come in, she looked up.  
  
"Why, hello, young one... Tails, I believe?"  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, merely trying to speed her recovery with my own variety of medicine," she answered, closing her eyes again. After a few moments more, she sat back in her chair. "So, little fox, what brings you?"  
  
"I just wanted to see how she was... you know, see how long it'll be before she can be moved back to her cell," he hurriedly added.  
  
She smiled. "It is useless to attempt deception in the face of the high wizardress, young Tails."  
  
He sighed. "So you can see right through me, huh?"  
  
"Like the finest glass blown by the anteaters themselves." Her brow furrowed. "But why do you hide your feelings so?"  
  
"Well, she's evil," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
"Oh, come now, boy."  
  
"Alright, alright. They think she's evil. She's at least a criminal, that's for sure. I guess I'm afraid they'd think I'm a traitor."  
  
"Probably well-grounded concerns." Callista gazed down at the unconscious figure in the bed next to her. "No, she is not evil. She has strayed far down the path of darkness, true. It will take one with an abundance of compassion to turn her." She looked up at Tails, her expression serious. "Would you be that one?"  
  
The young fox shifted uneasily. "Uh... well..."  
  
She laughed. "Young love. Unsure, yet strong emotions running rampantly through your veins. I've felt such love many times. Believe it or not, such attractions do often lead to true love." She fell silent, gazing off into space.  
  
"I'd like to try... for her sake."  
  
"But don't you mean for the both of you?"  
  
Tails looked down. "Please, Callista..."  
  
She stood and tousled his hair. "Come, the hours for visitation are near their end."  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
"Alright, this meeting of the Freedom Fighters is in session."  
  
Sally scanned the faces seated around the table in front of her. She couldn't help but notice with slight amusement that Damien had chosen a seat directly opposite the one Callista was in. She noticed Antoine was giving her suspicious looks, but doubted that it was obvious enough for Callista to notice, as she hadn't known the coyote as long as she had. Bunnie seemed in rather good spirits, and Bane was as serious as ever. Rotor wasn't even paying full attention, as he was calibrating some latest component of his. Damien was simply sitting, unreadable through his metallic features. Tails looked like he had a lot on his mind. She was beginning to worry about him lately, but that would have to wait.  
  
She noticed Sonic was staring at her. She over looked the fact that any time her eyes came across him, he quickly looked elsewhere, usually at Bane. She pretended not to notice Bane's sympathetic gaze, as well.  
  
She knew what was going on, and she didn't like it at all. The other-world Sonic had fallen for her almost as bad as her own. It also appeared he had confided in his brother. As flattering as it was, she quickly pushed it from her mind. They had other things that took precedence.  
  
"Okay, listen up, sirs and ma'ams. I've been thinking about all of this for quite some time, and I think what we have to do first is get rid of Simone. True, Robotnik is still a threat, but we can't take him on when we have another thorn in our collective side."  
  
A ripple of approval surged through the crowd. It seemed she had voiced everybody's opinion. A relief at the least.  
  
"Now, our recent addition to the ranks," she continued, gesturing toward Callista, "may be able to detect her powerful magics with a bit of her own. Then all that is left is to close in on her and hit her hard."  
  
Bane raised his hand.  
  
"Yes, Bane?"  
  
"Princess, if you don't mind my saying so, I think that's a just plain foolhardy plan. We don't really have much of an idea what she's capable of."  
  
"Interdimensional travel isn't proof enough?" Rotor put in.  
  
"Exactly my point," Bane continued. "If she could send your Sonic off to who-knows-where, what could she do to us? We need to know what she can do before we know how to counteract it."  
  
"I believe I can be of help in that area," Callista said. She cleared her throat quietly. "I have observed the dark witch in the heat of battle, and while true, she is a formidable sorceress, and a fair swordslady to boot, she is not invincible. Our own Kanesku dealt her a powerful blow during the Battle of Adagia."  
  
"But you said Kanesku had black magic," Tails said. "We don't have any black magicians."  
  
Callista's brow furrowed. "Eh? But you have two."  
  
Bane silently raised his hand.  
  
The room was instantly awash with voices, but Sally quieted them quickly. "That's enough. Now, Callista, I'm sorry, but Bane is our only black mage, and he informs us that his powers are still relatively weak. I don't-"  
  
Just then there was a commotion from outside. The entire room stood instantly. Sally motioned to Damien to open the door. He stood and rushed to it, made a quick glance back to make sure all were at the ready, then opened.  
  
There stood the other Sally, still wearing a green hospital gown and bandages, gasping for breath desperately. But that wasn't the only surprise; on the floor surrounding her lay four or five guards, all seeming to be suffering from shock. The dark squirrel stumbled forward into the War Room, seemingly half out of it.  
  
"Help me!"  
  
"What are you doing here?!" Tails said, approaching her. "You're hurt!"  
  
"Oh, bullcrap," she said, ripping the bandage from her head. "I'm fine as I ever was. But I'm not safe!" She ran into his arms, a move that almost made him cry out from surprise. "You gotta keep me safe from that, that-"  
  
"That what?!"  
  
She looked around the room at all the surprised, dumbfounded and suspicious stares. "Please, don't let her get to me. She's gonna tear me apart, or worse!" She scooted around behind him.  
  
Princess Sally grabbed her by the shoulder. "Listen here, carbon copy. You had better explain yourself before we-"  
  
She gasped, cutting the princess off. "Too late!"  
  
They all followed her gaze to the doorway, and at that moment the light in the War Room exploded. They all ducked, covering their heads from the falling glass. When the dust settled, they looked up again at the figure in the doorway.  
  
A silhouette of a familiar female stood in the doorway. The shapely figure, the hair flowing halfway down her back, the long ears.  
  
Damien stood immediately, fists clenching tightly. "You."  
  
Simone walked into the room, still not clearly visible in the light from the doorway. "Yes, hello again, Damien. Enjoying your vacation?"  
  
"No. I didn't get to ask my boss for time off."  
  
She clicked her tongue. "Oh, such a pity. Maybe next time you should plan better."  
  
Callista now stepped forward. "So, if you are unable to have your way with one world, then you must move on to another?"  
  
Simone stiffened. "What are you doing here, wench?!"  
  
Callista smiled sweetly. "I have embarked on a voyage of my own."  
  
Simone snorted. "Bah. I don't care. All I need is the girl." She advanced toward Evil Sally.  
  
"No!" Tails shouted. "You can't have her!"  
  
"Oh, but I don't think you understand..." She waved her hands in front of her, and Tails suddenly clutched at his chest.  
  
"Stop!" All three Sally's and Sonic shouted simultaneously.  
  
"But then he would try to attack me," she said, moving her hands slowly together, agonizingly. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to refuse."  
  
Evil Sally looked down at him, then looked up at Simone. "Don't do that."  
  
"Oh, and why not?"  
  
"I said cut it out!" She clenched her fists in front of her.  
  
Simone laughed. "I'm sorry, you seem to have mistaken me for somebody who cares. I am not such a person, so I suggest you come along, for his sake." Tails clawed at the floor desperately, still clutching his chest with the other hand.  
  
"No, you're the one who doesn't get it, witch," Evil Sally said. Then a curious thing happened.  
  
Her eyes began to glow brilliantly with a sort of bluish-black hue, and lightning began to leap between her fists. In the new light, they could all see the look of shock on each others faces. But no face bore the look quite as horrified as Simone's.  
  
She leveled her arms in her direction, and let out a scream that echoed beyond their plane. "LET HIM GO!!!"  
  
With that, she loosed a blast that rocked the entire room, directly toward Simone. Too awestruck to move in time to avoid it, she was hit squarely in the chest, knocking her through the door and into the wall on the opposite side.  
  
Then Evil Sally collapsed in a crumpled heap, Tails kneeling over her. They all gathered around her, and Callista pushed through to her side. She laid her hand on her chest for a moment, then looked up.  
  
"She is well," she explained. "Only winded from the outpouring of her power."  
  
Nobody seemed to notice when Simone stood halfway up and then disappeared. "Her power?" Tails asked. "You mean..."  
  
"I truly thought you all knew," Callista said, her own hands glowing softly, pressed against Evil Sally's prone form. "She is the other I spoke of. Could you not see?"  
  
"Oh, wow," Bane said. "I do sense it, now. I probably would have before if I had come into contact with her." He then gasped. "Holy God..."  
  
"What, what?" Princess Sally said looking up at him. "What's wrong, now?"  
  
"I've never sensed power this great before... it's amazing."  
  
"Verily, and Simone sensed it, as well," Callista said, helping the reawakening Sally to a sitting position. "You have the makings of a true sorceress in this young one."  
  
"Wh...wha?" The dark squirrel still seemed dazed. "Sorceress?"  
  
"You have awakened, my child," Callista said, smiling. "Welcome to the world of the mages."  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
the end  
(chapter 6 is  
approaching) 


	6. Readjusting

Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction  
  
by Dustin Lawson (dustinman77@hotmail.com)  
  
Sonic, Tails, Sally, Rotor, Bunnie, Evil Sally, etc. are (c) Sega, Archie Comics, and Dic. Used by me! without permission, since... oh, geez, it's a fanfic!   
  
Damien, Enosh, Simone, and Callista are my characters (and so is Evil Sally, basically, since the Archie comic never expanded on her character in the least); please do not use them without permission. Thanx. Bane is (c)Bane Keldare.   
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
  
SonicWorlds  
Chapter 6  
"Readjusting"  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
It was almost beautiful. The way it moved; slow, fluid, glowing softly, the only light in the cavern. It almost seemed like it was alive...   
  
Tails felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and found himself looking up at the kind, smiling face of Princess Sally.   
  
"Oh, hi, Aunt Sally," he said, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his own mouth.   
  
She sat down on the rock next to him, drawing her knees up under her chin. "What's going through your mind, Miles?"   
  
He started to protest to the mention of his real name, but only sighed. "...the other Sally."   
  
"Ahh." She nodded, closing her eyes. "You think we should let her go."   
  
"Well, yeah, kinda... but that's not what I was thinking about."   
  
Sally looked at him for a long moment, then her eyes widened a bit with realization. "You love her... don't you?"   
  
"I don't know, Aunt Sally, I... I just don't know."   
  
Sally released her knees, scooting over toward him. "Tails," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder again, "you're not old enough. You're not ready for love yet." She chuckled slightly. "I'm not even ready for it, evidently..."   
  
Suddenly, Tails did something that surprised her. He laid his head on her shoulder, clinging. She couldn't remember the last time he'd done that, but it had been quite some time. Until now, she hadn't realized that she'd missed it a little. She rubbed his shoulder soothingly.   
  
"Don't worry, Tails... I'm sure she feels for you, too."   
  
Tails's voice came a bit strained. "You really think so?"   
  
"She saved you from Simone, didn't she?" Sally sighed. "I don't know what to make of her. She's been a pain in the neck since we've known her, but now... now she acts like she's turned."   
  
She looked down at the pool of magma, felt the warmth radiating off of it, saw the dim glow it continuously gave off as it flowed around itself. "That's so pretty..."   
  
"I know," Tails said, his head lifting to look at it as well. "I found this cavern down here a few days ago."   
  
"Just because the volcano is dormant doesn't mean it has no magma, eh, Tails?" She smiled. "It looks like a formless creature, almost."   
  
"I was thinking the same thing, Aunt Sally." He hugged her tightly before letting go and sitting up.   
  
"Well, we'd better get to the meeting," Sally said, standing up on the rock. "We have to decide what to do about all this."   
  
"Yeah."   
  
As they walked toward the stairs leading out of the cavern and back up to the main hallway, Sally placed her arm around his shoulders. She had almost forgotten how good it could feel to play the role of a parent. Tails had seemingly outgrown the need for his surrogate mother a while ago, but evidently, he was still somewhat of a boy inside. She didn't know whether to shelter him or to set him free anymore. She would simply have to watch and wait for a sign.   
  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
"Ahem."   
  
They all looked up to Sonic, slightly startled by his clearing his throat. "If you don't mind," he said, "I'm kinda hungry, and we're not saying anything."   
  
"No," Sally said firmly. "We do not leave this room until this is all resolved."   
  
"Then let's resolve! Let her go, and she can come eat with us. I'm starving!"   
  
"Sonic!"   
  
Sonic let out an exasperated breath, looking away. He began drumming his fingers on the table.   
  
"Would you stop that?" Damien said.   
  
"Oh, sor-ree, Mr. Metaldude." He folded his arms. "This is so boring, Princess."   
  
"I'm sorry it doesn't amuse you, but we have to figure out what to do with her."   
  
"I'm telling you, she'll be fine," Tails said, shaking his head. "Let Callista talk to her. Maybe she can use her good powers to help."   
  
Callista shook her head as well. "I am afraid things are not so simplistic, young one. I cannot force the darkness from the heart of one that placed it there themselves."   
  
"What if she just had a bad childhood? She could've lived on the streets or something... maybe her parents were mean to her, or got divorced. She didn't have to make herself bad."   
  
"Either way, 'tisn't any form of enchantment or hypnosis. I cannot break a spell that does not exist."   
  
Tails sighed deeply. "Then let me talk to her. It looked like she trusts me."   
  
"What about her power?" Damien put in. "She's not exactly your average girl. She could overpower you."   
  
"I'm willing to risk it. Besides, I'm sure you guys can take her down if she does." An idea seemed to dawn on him. "Hey, what if Bane helped her learn how to use her power?"   
  
Bane looked up, startled at the mention of his name. "Oh, no, you don't. I don't know that much about my own power, let alone train someone with more than me."   
  
"At least you know enough to get her started. And Callista could help, too; she may not know dark magics, but she knows a lot about magic, right?"   
  
Bane and Callista sighed in unison.   
  
"It's the only good suggestion I've heard in the past hour," Sally said, "and I'm beginning to get as hungry as Sonic acts. Tails, Bane and Callista are now in charge of Evil Sally. Whether or not she can be turned is up to you guys, now."   
  
They all saluted with a "Yes, Your Majesty." Tails was the only one that did it with enthusiasm, however.   
  
"Very good," Sally said, banging a gavel. "Meeting adjourned."   
  
"Finally!" Sonic raced out the door, turning in the direction of the mess hall.   
  
Tails tugged excitedly at Bane and Callista's hands, forcing them to walk down the hall toward their fate at a slightly faster pace than they would've preferred.   
  
Sally shook her head. "Like a lovesick puppy."   
  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
Rotor looked over the project rising before him. Though he'd only been building it according to the specifications, it was still quite a feat. He was glad that he was able to accomplish it, given the few details. She was certainly no scientist, but she did have quite a mind.   
  
Suddenly Damien walked in. "Rotor, I would have words with you."   
  
"Oh?" He put down his laser torch and stood. "What about?"   
  
"An upgrade... I'm having trouble with my... what's that thing?" He pointed to the half-covered mechanical creation.   
  
"Nothing," Rotor said, pulling the tarp completely over it. "Let's talk in the lunchroom. I'm about ready for a fish sandwich."   
  
"Alright."   
  
Rotor was asking him about his problems as they walked out the door, it sliding shut behind them.   
  
They should've waited a few minutes.   
  
The small radio on the workbench near one of the many closets suddenly sputtered to life. The voice on the radio was amazingly familiar.   
  
"...body there? Hello? Dangit, why won't this stupid gizmo work?"   
  
Another voice, faintly, as if in the background. "Anything?" came the higher timbre of a familiar female.   
  
"No. It's not working, Sal... man, it's too easy to call you that."   
  
"It's okay... try another frequency."   
  
"Alright... Rotor? Bunnie? Chuck? Anybody got the..."   
  
Then the voices were gone.   
  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
Evil Sally paced up and down behind the wall of the shimmering force field, pausing every few minutes to glare at her warden.   
  
"There ain't no use givin' me dirty looks, shuga," Bunnie said from her chair, pausing in the reading of her romance novel. "I ain't the one that put ya in heah."   
  
"So?" she said, turning to stare at her evenly. "I'm still in a cage, even though I saved the brat. No gratitude."   
  
"Thank ya kindly, deah," she replied sweetly.   
  
The dark squirrel gritted her teeth and went back to pacing.   
  
Just then the door opened with a swoosh, and in walked Tails, dragging the wizardress and the dark hedgehog behind him.   
  
"Sirs?" Bunnie said, laying her book on the table.   
  
"Sally's request, Bunnie," Tails said. "We're here on business."   
  
"Alrighty," she said, shrugging and going back to her book.   
  
They walked over to the force field, and Sally stopped to stare at them, eyelids half-closed. Tails looked kind of anxious, the woman's expression was unreadable, and the black-furred hedgehog looked like he'd rather be somewhere else.   
  
"Well, well. Time for my execution, or is that tomorrow?"   
  
"Sally..." Tails said.   
  
"Sorry, I left my daily planner in my other orange jumpsuit." Indeed, her drafty hospital gown was gone, replaced by the standard orange garb of a prisoner.   
  
Tails looked apologetic. "Sorry, I don't know what happened to your leather."   
  
"Well, at least they gave me something." She folded her arms. "So, what are you here for, to stare at the circus freak?"   
  
"Kinda," the dark one said. The lady nudged him. "What?"   
  
"Shh," she said. Then she turned to Evil Sally. "We have come to aid you in your newfound abilities, young one."   
  
"YOUNG?!" she shouted, defiant. "I'm the same age as you are, ya airhead!"   
  
"And just as mature, I see," the hedgehog commented sarcastically, earning another elbow from the wizardress.   
  
"Allow us to introduce ourselves," she went on. "I am Princess Callista, High Wizardress of Mobitopia." She bowed slightly.   
  
"I'm Bane," he said simply.   
  
The dark squirrel's eyes widened in mock surprise. "What? No high-and-mighty title for you?"   
  
"Prince of Mobius," he answered, annoyed slightly.   
  
Evil Sally rolled her eyes. "And I'm Sally, Duchess of Disaster. Pfft, royalty."   
  
"Please, Sally," Tails said. "We're only here to help."   
  
She looked over at him ready with another snide comment, but it died on her lips. She couldn't say anything like that while those dark brown eyes were on her. She looked away quickly, sighing. "Fine. Help like how?"   
  
Tails smiled slightly as Callista spoke. "For how long have you known of your magical abilities?"   
  
"Uh, since two days ago, when I blasted the heck outta that-"   
  
"It's okay," Bane said, trying to quell her brewing anger. "We were there."   
  
"Actually, I did use my 'magic' on those morons guarding your little meeting," she said with arrogance. "Try to stop Sally Acorn, huh? Fat chance of that."   
  
"What happened, though?" Tails asked. "What made your powers wake up?"   
  
"I... don't know," she said, her attitude softening slightly. "I just couldn't let her Simone get me again. She was gonna off me for failing the mission, or... or enslave me again." Her voice got very quiet. "I can't go back to that. Ever."   
  
Callista cleared her throat before continuing. "Well, err... it appears as though your innate ability is still very much a mystery to you, my child."   
  
"Mystery?" she responded, attitude back as suddenly as it had left. "No, a mystery is a Lilian Jackson Braun novel. I'm completely bewildered, here!"   
  
"We know, we know," Bane said. "I'm sure you are. I wish I could say I felt the same when I found out, but I was trained in the black arts since I can remember."   
  
"Lucky you."   
  
"I'm sorry, young one," Callista said. "I was also trained since infancy. High Wizard Charles picked up on the gift in my second year, and taught me in the ways through to adulthood."   
  
"Hooray. Where was he when I was little, huh?" Her voice was almost angry now. "Why couldn't he have shown me how to do that flashy crap? Maybe then I wouldn't have had to watch my family fall apart. Maybe then I wouldn't have had to wish we had food, eating while my mom starved. Maybe then I wouldn't have fallen in with that creep Sonic and his rowdy gang of losers. With that kinda stuff, I coulda got anything we needed, and we'd be fine." She slid down the wall and buried her face in her arms. "I can't cry. Geez, I'm such a wuss." Despite her efforts, a few sniffles could be heard through her arms.   
  
Tails motioned to Bunnie to turn off the field. The wall of barely visable energy flashed brilliantly, then disappeared. The young fox approached Sally cautiously, and knelt in front of her. "Sally?"   
  
Her head raised up enough for him to be able to see her face, and him only. He could see the wetness in the fur directly under her deep blue eyes, which were shimmering a bit from the tears. "Get out, please," she said, her voice breaking. "I'm weak, I... I can't be like this in front of people."   
  
Tails put his hand on her shoulder. "Why not? It's okay to cry, you know."   
  
"Not for me," she said, her face toughening slightly, though the tears continued to fall. "I've had to be the tough one since my dad left. He took my brother with him. I had to be mommie's little trooper, and I can't stop now. I have to keep at it, Tails."   
  
"You are strong," he said, "but everybody has feelings. I know what you're going through... kinda."   
  
"Look around," she said angrily. "All these people like you. I don't have anybody like that."   
  
"You knew your mother, didn't you?"   
  
Sally hesitated. "Yeah... why?"   
  
"I didn't really," Tails said softly. "I never even saw my father, as Robotnik roboticized him before I got the chance. It didn't take him much longer 'til he got my mother, too."   
  
"Hey, that sucks, okay? At least you had friends to take you in. That other Sal acts enough like your mom, anyway. I never really had friends, not unless you count those bums that run around with Sonic." She bit her lip, half-laughing, still half-crying. "Those dorks don't count as friends. They don't care. I don't think I could have any real ones... they wouldn't want trash like me in their 'circle' or whatever, anyway. No, not for me."   
  
Tails sat for an uncertain moment. She tried to read him, but could only wait for a reaction. Then he suddenly embraced her tenderly, rubbing her back through the prison clothes.   
  
"You have me, Sally. Always will."   
  
She sat stock still for quite a while, then slowly returned the hug. Callista motioned to the other two in the room, and they filed out, leaving Tails to comfort the little sorceress.   
  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
"So this is it, right under here?"   
  
Rotor looked up from his instrument panel. "Yep, that's it. Still in the experimental stages, but all the main components are there." He chuckled. "Just have to hook them all up right."   
  
"So I assume it's not operational, yet."   
  
"Not quite, but it won't take much more tweaking, Princess. Most of it's busy work, so if you let me enlist Uncle Chuck..."   
  
She sighed. "I guess if you need him. This just has to be confidential, you know. If it got back to father or anybody..."   
  
"I know, Princess... they'd stop you. I'm not too crazy about it, either, but orders are orders."   
  
Princess Sally smiled. "Finally... I won't be in the way."   
  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
the end  
(chapter 7 will  
exist)  



	7. Preparation

Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction  
by Dustin Lawson (dustinman77@hotmail.com)  
  
Sonic, Tails, Sally, Rotor, Bunnie, Evil Sally, etc. are (c) Sega, Archie Comics, and Dic. Used by me! without permission, since... oh, geez, it's a fanfic!  
  
Damien, Enosh, Simone, and Callista are my characters (and so is Evil Sally, basically, since the Archie comic never expanded on her character in the least); please do not use them without permission. Thanx. Bane is (c)Bane Keldare.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
SonicWorlds  
Chapter 7  
"Preparation"  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
"Yeah, that's it... focus..."  
  
Evil Sally's eyes squeezed tightly, not completely shut, glazed over. Energy leapt between her hands, sparking, seemingly uncontrollable. Perspiration matted the soft fur on her face as she concentrated on the energies, causing them to change from blue to violet.  
  
"Indeed," Callista interjected. "Very good... continue to push."  
  
"Harder," Bane added. "Remember not to panic."  
  
Her teeth clenched as the energies faded from lilac to a mauve. She was so close... she had to reach further than she knew how, but it was possible... wasn't it?  
  
"If you can't use pure ability, use anger," Bane was saying. "It's not the best way, but it will break through."  
  
The dark squirrel continued to manipulate the surges surrounding her forearms, turning her thoughts to Simone. Anger and hate was all she felt for that woman, and it was more than enough.  
  
"Whoa!" Tails shouted.  
  
Sally drifted back to the present just in time to see that she had succeeded in creating a fireball roughly the size of a car. She released it, and it instantly incinerated the target; an old, dead tree, standing in the middle of the training room. She smiled weakly before collapsing to her knees, gasping.  
  
"Very good, Sally..." Callista said.  
  
"Thanks. The memory of that sadistic witch was plenty enough to make me 'fire off'."  
  
Callista sighed and turned to Bane as Tails helped the squirrel to her feet. "While you were correct, young prince, you shouldn't have mentioned that," she said reproachfully. "Though it is the easy way, it is not the best, nor should it be used at all."  
  
"Yeah, well, it's how I harnessed my power," he replied with a shrug. "I figured if she can do it with anger, it won't be long before she can do it without."  
  
"But anger and hate lead to the dark side," Callista whispered. "As it stands now, she is not necessarily a fighter of valiance. Any encouragement down the path of evil should be completely avoided."  
  
Bane sighed. "You're right, Callista." He gazed at her evenly. "You know, for a girl younger than me, you act a lot like my mother."  
  
Callista hesitated a moment before replying. "Err, thank you... I suppose."  
  
She then walked over toward Tails and Sally. They were drinking that power mixture of Dr. Quack's; foul-tasting junk that it was, it was supposed to amplify the progress made in a training session. She knew of a majickal tea that would probably have sufficed, and wouldn't have been as harsh on the taste buds. Alas, she couldn't argue with science.  
  
"He's a real wuss under all that leather," Sally was saying.  
  
"That's what I thought, raw-hided and chicken-hearted," Tails replied, laughing. Sally joined in the laughter. They didn't even realize how well they complimented each other's personality.  
  
Callista cleared her throat before speaking. "I hate to interrupt such pleasant-sounding camaraderie, but..."  
  
"Oh, sheeze," Sally said, rolling her eyes. "I hate doing those excersizes, they're so boring."  
  
"My dear Sally, we've been over this a thousand, nay, two thousand times. Without proper mental excersize, your abilities will never grow as they should."  
  
"Let 'em be stunted," she said flippantly. "I wanna go for a swim."  
  
"Acquatic pleasures can come later," Callista said, mildly irritated. "Do your excersizes, young lady, or they will not come at all."  
  
"Fine, fine." She gulped the rest of her shake and set it down. "I guess I can suffer through a half hour of 'ohmmmmm' as long as I get to take a dip later."  
  
Tails shook his head. "You are not a kind person."  
  
"You know you like me that way," she replied with a wink.  
  
"Come along," Callista said, mainly to rescue Tails from nearly fainting. "The sooner we begin, the sooner you can attend to your... 'dip'."  
  
"Right on," she replied, waving to the young fox as they went off toward the room Callista had set up as a sort of temple of meditation.  
  
"Hey, man, you okay?"  
  
"Huh?" Tails said, looking up.  
  
Bane peered at him, his eyebrows knitted. "What's wrong with you?"  
  
"Uh, nothin'," Tails said, smiling quickly. "Why?"  
  
"Oh, I see," the dark hedgehog said with a grin.  
  
"What, what?!" Tails folded his arms. "What do you THINK you see?"  
  
"I knew you had a bit of a personal interest in these training sessions, but I didn't realize just how bad you had it." He shook his head. "When one wink makes you get all woozy like that, you really got it bad."  
  
"I, uh, don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"Of course. Don't worry, I won't tell your target you're aiming for her."  
  
Tails merely laughed and scratched the back of his neck, shrugged, and walked off.  
  
"No chance," Bane said to himself. "Not a chance."  
  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
"SNIVLEY!!!"  
  
A rather stumpy man with a round head came running into the room. The only thing that looked more ridiculous than the few hairs on his head was the giant pointy nose on his face. "You shouted, sir?"  
  
"Get Simone in here... I would have words with her."  
  
"Yes, sir," he replied, running back out.  
  
Dr. Ivo Robotnik rubbed his mustache thoughtfully. Why had it been so long since there had been any word? He had seen what she could do, which is what made it so hard to believe that she hadn't succeeded yet.  
  
"You rang, m'lord?"  
  
"Ahh, yes, Simone," he said, smiling. "You look as lovely as ever."  
  
"Yes, I know," she said, smiling seductively. "Now why am I here?"  
  
He took in a breath before continuing. "I've become somewhat unsure that you can accomplish your goal alone."  
  
Her smile faded a bit, replaced by a slight scowl. "I'm working on it."  
  
"Well, if you are, you certainly know how to take your time."  
  
"Doctor, there has been a... development."  
  
His eyebrow raised. "What sort of development?"  
  
"The dark one... from the other dimension... her abilities have surfaced ahead of time."  
  
"Well, all the better, then."  
  
"No," she replied, shaking her head. "You obviously didn't get my memo."  
  
"I never read those things."  
  
"Well, if you HAD, you would know that through a series of unfortunate events, I lost my hold over her."  
  
"What?!" Robotnik sat upright in his chair, depressing the button that moved him in closer to her. "This is less than good!"  
  
"Don't you think I realize that?" She folded her arms. "I was right about one thing... her power is a force to be reckoned with. I attempted to recover her, and she fended me off."  
  
"Come, now, Simone. She can't already be that powerful."  
  
"She isn't; the attack merely caught me off guard, but by now, I'm sure, she has taken the time to hone her abilities."  
  
"Yes, those infernal Freedom Fools are probably training her as we speak."  
  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
She looked up into the cavernous ceiling. She liked the way the blues, dark reds, and violets melted together in the spaces between the stalactites. She could feel herself floating; drifting away from the noise, the dangers, the memories. She was calm and at peace. There was nothing else to oppose what she was thinking, nobody telling her she was always wrong.  
  
"Who needs meditation?"  
  
"Not you, I guess."  
  
Evil Sally gasped and sat up. "Tl-blak!" Suddenly air ceased to exist; her arms whirled around, striving to achieve some sort of balance. She finally succeeded in getting her feet under her and stood up, the water coming up to her shoulders, glaring at the fox standing at the edge. "You scared the living crap outta me!"  
  
He scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, Sally, I didn't mean to. You okay?"  
  
She folded her arms, flipping her hair out of her eyes. "Oh, just shaken, that's all." She cocked her head. "I didn't hear you walk up. Just how long were you standing there?"  
  
"Uh, not real long."  
  
"Out with it, freak." She no longer said that word venemously; in fact, it was now kind of a pet name she had for him.  
  
"Alright, a few minutes."  
  
She smiled slightly. "Tails Prower, were you admiring my bikini?"  
  
"I, uhh..." He swallowed hard before continuing. "Well, you looked so peaceful, so I didn't want to interrupt you."  
  
She adjusted the baby-blue string over her left shoulder. "Thank you, then, but you still made me jump out of my skin."  
  
"Need me to put you back in it?"  
  
"You just want to touch it."  
  
"Hey, I didn't-"  
  
"Yeah, I know you didn't." She dove underwater and swam a quick lap, surfacing under the waterfall. She turned to look at him, but he wasn't there.  
  
"What the-"  
  
Suddenly his head popped up two inches in front of her.  
  
"AAAAGH!!!" She backpaddled a little before she realized it was him; then she swam forward and punched him on the shoulder. "Cut it out!"  
  
He was laughing slighty, and now was rubbing his shoulder. "Did I mention I came down here to join you?"  
  
"Did you mention you're a jerk?!" She tried to glare at him, but couldn't help smiling a little.  
  
"No, I forgot to, sorry."  
  
She laughed, then dove on top of him, forcing his head under the water. "Apology accepted!"  
  
His arms flailed around her, smacking her ribs occaisionally. She swam backwards and held him up by his hair. "Yes? You wanted something?"  
  
"Oxygen," he panted.  
  
"Your wish is granted," she said, letting him go and swimming away.  
  
"Oh, no you don't," he said, swimming after her. "Payback time!"  
  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
Bane walked down the hall toward Sonic's room. He had been fairly busy with Evil Sally's training the past few weeks, and hadn't had the chance to check up on his brother.  
  
As he walked down the hall, he passed the she-devil herself, walking with Tails. They were both wearing towels.  
  
"Hey, Bane!" Tails said, waving. Bane merely shook his head and walked on.  
  
The door to Sonic's room was shut, but that didn't muffle the searing riffs coming from within. Bane opened the door to see him laying back on the dresser, guitar situated on his stomach, his foot propped up on the amplifier.  
  
"Sonic?" No answer. He walked in and said louder, "Yo, Sonic!" Still no answer. "SONIC!!!" It was no use; the amp was up too loud. Bane walked over and jerked the guitar cord out of it. It slowly died as the blue hedgehog looked up.  
  
"Oh, hey, bro," he said, grinning. "What's up?"  
  
"The volume, evidently," Bane said with a laugh. "Just dropping by to see what's been going on."  
  
"Not a lot," he said, sitting up. "I mostly hang around, eat, and practice. I wrote a killer new song, man."  
  
"Good, good. I've been busy with-"  
  
"Yeah, I know," he said, shrugging. "I went down there to see if you wanted to jam, and they told me you were 'indisposed with Her Majesty's orders' or some funk."  
  
"Sorry, dude, but the Princess of Darkness takes precedence over music." He sighed. "I think Callista could handle it by herself, but orders are orders."  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'm mostly itching for some freedom fightin' action!"  
  
Bane smiled. "Ready to kick robo-butt and forget about the names?"  
  
"Yep." He grinned. "Not too often you get to take down an evil dictator TWICE, you know."  
  
"True, true. Well, I'm beat, I'm gonna go hit the sack."  
  
"Okay, man," he said, plugging his guitar back in. "Don't be a stranger."  
  
"You either."  
  
As he left the room, he was escorted by the loud blaring of the opening chords of "Heavy Metal Machine".  
  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
  
  
"I don't feel too good about this..."  
  
"Hey, I'm right here," Tails said.  
  
Evil Sally was hovering some eight feet above the ground, her arms outstretched, legs together, bare toes pointing at the ground. The dark purple robe swirled around her, as the energy currents surrounding her held her aloft.  
  
"All that's holding me up is my energy," she said nervously. "I'm... I'm a little scared."  
  
"You're fine," he replied. He was hovering under and to the right of her.  
  
"Try not to think of being scared," Bane called up to her. "That's the kind of thing that messes you up the worst."  
  
"Concentrate on the feelings," Callista shouted. "You have felt the energies from when I cast you aloft. Duplicating them only becomes easier with practice. You are doing well."  
  
Sally's head raised level as her eyes watered. She could feel the beads of sweat running through her fur. She could see her hair in her face, nearly drenched. Learning new feats always took more out of her than practicing old ones.  
  
"Sally!"  
  
She realized she was beginning to float downward. She composed herself, concentrated once again, and raised herself back to the appointed height.  
  
"Sorry," she called down. "Just thinking about stuff."  
  
"You'll be able to do such things," Callista responded, "but only after you are accustomed to it enough. It will become as walking; automatic, and not requiring constant thought."  
  
"Well, I've done my gravity-defying for the day. Can I, uh, come down now?"  
  
"Yes, you have done well. Descend slowly."  
  
As she begin to levitate downward steadily, the door opened. Princess Sally walked in, a clipboard under her arm.  
  
"Your majesty!" Evil Sally saluted -- and lost control. She dropped the last foot and landed on her rear with a bump. "Oww..."  
  
"Sorry!" the Princess said, rushing over to her. "I didn't mean to interrupt anything. Are you alright?"  
  
"Takes more that that to put me out of comission," she said, taking Tails's quicky-outstretched hand and pulling to her feet. "Thanks, Tails."  
  
"No problem."  
  
"Good," Princess Sally said, pulling out her clipboard. "I just came down to see how things were going with training. What kind of progress has she made, how much is left to go. That sort of thing. I normally would've sent someone, but I'm too curious." She smiled a bit after that last phrase.  
  
"Our protige has made remarkeable progress," Callista spoke up. "In the past month, she has mastered fire, wind, and lightning manipulation, basic telepathy and telekinesis, and levitation -- as you observed."  
  
"Yes, I certainly did," she said, writing all this down on her clipboard. "Certainly sounds like things are going smoothly between the four of you."  
  
"It's her natural ability," Bane added. "She's going to be stronger than all of us when her training is finished."  
  
"What are you guys buttering me up for?" Evil Sally said with a sly smile.  
  
"I wasn't aware speaking the truth was 'buttering up'," Callista replied. "You are the strongest practitioner of the dark arts I have ever come across, including our own Kanesku."  
  
"You're making me blush," she said, hiding her face.  
  
"Well, all seems fine here, I guess," the Princess said, tucking the clipboard back under her arm. "Keep at it!"  
  
"Actually, the day's training is finished," Callista said. "You may go."  
  
"Really?" Evil Sally said, smiling broadley. "I can go early?"  
  
"I believe I spoke clearly."  
  
"Thanks," she said, dashing over to the shelf where her boots were waiting for her.  
  
"She's a handful, isn't she?" Princess Sally commented to Callista.  
  
"On some days," she replied in a whisper. "Others, she is the best student I've ever had. She is a very moody child."  
  
"Child..." Sally had a puzzled look on her face. "You know, we shouldn't think of her like that. She is the same age as we are."  
  
"'Tis the immaturity. The Acorn females are brought up properly, under normal circumstances. Your growth as a leader was accelerated due to the stress of war. Our dark counterpart, however, fell in with a band of hooligans, which not only stopped her growth as a young woman, but most likely even regressed her a bit."  
  
"Sounds pretty accurate. I just hope we're rubbing off on her a bit. She needs to learn a little responsibility, a sense of right and wrong."  
  
"I believe she is. Slowly, to be sure, but she is learning."  
  
"Hmm." Sally noticed the way Tails was fawning over the dark squirrel as they left. "How bad do you think he has it for her?"  
  
"Bad," Bane said as he joined them. He had been putting away Evil Sally's training robe. "I saw the look on his face earlier this week. If a girl can do that to you with one little wink, there's no hope."  
  
"I see," Sally said smiling. Then she frowned a little. "She's trouble. I hope he knows what he's getting into."  
  
"Your Majesty," a voice said, coming from her wristwatch. She depressed a button on it. "Go on, Damien."  
  
"We may have to move, and soon."  
  
All hint of a smile disappeared from Sally's face instantly. "Why, what happened?"  
  
"I think you should come to the briefing room immediately."  
  
Sally looked up at Bane and Callista, then replied, "On our way. Please contact the others."  
  
"Will do. Out."  
  
With that, she motioned to them, and they quickly left the training room and turned down the hall.  
  
Sally wondered aloud, "What now?"  
  
  
¤¤§¤¤  
the end  
(chapter 8... 'tis  
a certainty) 


End file.
